Certificates of authenticity for works on paper
Works on paper — prints, watercolours, collages, and mixed sheets — span unique pieces and editions. Attesian certifies both, and is careful to represent editions honestly rather than implying every print is one of a kind.
Register a work on paper and it receives a signed certificate and an append-only provenance record. For an edition, each copy's identity rests on the registry, not on the image alone.
Unique works on paper are treated like any single original, with a genesis event and full chain of custody.
Editioned prints share one image, so the registry — not the picture — is what distinguishes one numbered copy from another.
Provenance is added over time and never rewritten, keeping the record trustworthy as copies disperse.
How image fingerprinting applies
For a unique work on paper the perceptual image fingerprint is strong. For an edition, every copy shares the same image and therefore the same fingerprint — so the fingerprint confirms the picture, while the individual copy's identity comes from the registry constraint and attestation.
Questions
- How does Attesian handle a numbered edition?
- Each copy is recorded as its own item in the registry, so numbering and identity are enforced by the record rather than by the image — which every copy in the edition shares.