Frederick Ferdinand Schafer Painting Catalog

Conventions: Inscriptions on paintings

Verso Inscription: This entry reports inscriptions on the back of the painting, on the canvas, the stretcher bars, and on the frame. Multiple-line verso inscriptions are common, as are stamps and other marks, especially on the frame. Because paintings are frequently reframed, inscriptions on the frame are not particularly authoritative, but the catalog records them because they sometimes offer clues about the provenance of the painting.

A majority of inscriptions, both recto and verso, are in a distinctive printing style, which the inventory refers to as "Schafer's characteristic block printing style". Further discussion of this style, along with examples, appears on the pages about Signature inscriptions and Other inscriptions.

The letters n.i. (no inscription) indicate that examination revealed no inscription. The letters n.v. (not visible) indicate that the current state of the painting prevents examination, for example, because the canvas is lined or the back is sealed, and it is possible that future more aggressive examination may uncover an inscription.

The terms l.r., l.c., and l.l., mean lower right, lower center, and lower left, respectively. Capital and small letters, abbreviation, and punctuation marks appear exactly as found in the inscription. Inscriptions of two or more lines appear with a virgule (that is, a forward slash) separating the lines (the virgule is used because it appears that Schafer never used this character in an inscription).