Why Auction House Descriptions Are Not Guarantees
- Fine Art Expertises LLC , www.fae.llc
- 2h
- 2 min read
The Illusion of Safety
Collectors often believe that buying from a major auction house automatically means safety, authenticity, and legal protection.
This belief is dangerously wrong.
Auction house descriptions are marketing tools, not guarantees, and they are written under legal frameworks designed to protect the auction house, not the buyer.
What an Auction House Description Really Is
An auction description is
An opinion, not a certification
Written without legal liability
Based on information available at the time
Protected by extensive disclaimers buried in the Conditions of Sale
In simple terms:
They describe, they do not certify.
The Language That Should Worry You
Auction catalogs are full of soft legal language that sounds reassuring but means very little:
“Attributed to”
“Studio of”
“Circle of”
“Follower of”
“In the manner of”
“We are of the opinion that…”
Each of these phrases reduces responsibility, not risk.
Disclaimers You Rarely Read (But Should)
Most auction houses explicitly state that:
Descriptions are opinions, not facts
No guarantee is given on authorship, date, or condition
Buyers are responsible for their own due diligence
Refunds are limited, time-restricted, or subject to internal review
Scientific or archival discoveries after the sale may invalidate prior descriptions
Once the hammer falls, your leverage collapses.
Why Even Major Auction Houses Get It Wrong
Auction houses:
Handle thousands of lots
Rely on external consultants
Often work with partial documentation
Face commercial pressure to place works attractively
Must balance scholarship with consignor interests
Mistakes are not rare; they are structural.
Provenance ≠ Authenticity
A long provenance does not guarantee authenticity.
Old labels, stamps, collection names, or past sales:
Can be misinterpreted
Can belong to another work
Can be attached later
Can simply be wrong
History can be misleading when not critically analyzed.
The Legal Reality After the Sale
Many buyers discover too late that:
Legal action is costly and slow
Arbitration favors institutional sellers
Time limits invalidate claims
Burden of proof lies with the buyer
In short:
You own the problem once you own the artwork.
What Serious Collectors Do Instead
Experienced collectors do not rely solely on catalog descriptions.
They:
Seek independent expertise
Analyze condition beyond cosmetic restoration
Verify stylistic coherence, materials, and construction
Question anything that looks “too perfect.”
Ask uncomfortable questions before bidding
The FAE.LLC Approach
At FAE.LLC, we do not sell optimism.
We deliver:
Independent risk analysis
Pre-auction reality checks
Honest second opinions
Expertise without commercial pressure
Discretion, clarity, and accountability
We work for the buyer, not the catalog.
Final Thought
Auction houses sell access and liquidity, not certainty.
If a description were a guarantee, lawsuits would not exist.
Before you trust the catalog, ask yourself one question:
Who carries the risk once the hammer falls?
If the answer is you , call us before you bid.
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