Language discipline

Precision because the stakes are real.

For the collector. For the artist. For the gallery. The vocabulary we use is bounded — not for marketing reasons, but because imprecise language has caused real harm in the art world.

Words we use

Five terms with explicit meanings.

Attribution opinion

The gallery’s assessment of authorship based on documentary evidence and physical examination. An opinion, marked as such, with the evidence cited.

Provenance research

The work of establishing chain of custody and exhibition history. Always sourced. Gaps acknowledged rather than papered over.

Indicated market range based on comparable sales

A pricing context based on documented secondary-market transactions. Not an appraisal; not a guarantee of resale value.

Sourced

Backed by an authoritative source — artist email, canonical site, approved press, or accepted authority document.

Documented

Recorded in the JG provenance ledger with chain anchor. Inspectable by any legitimate interested party.

Words we never use without basis

Five terms that require explicit substantiation.

Authentication. Appraisal. Valuation. Guarantee. Certified. Each of these has specific legal and market meaning in the art world. We use them only when we have the basis to use them, and we make the basis explicit. Otherwise we use the precise term above.