November 2025
Provenance and certificate: what you should receive
A precise, dated and signed description commits the seller — and protects you.
A good certificate is not a decorative object. It states the exact designation of the piece, the period or estimated dating, the materials, the dimensions, the known restorations and the price paid.
Wording matters. Louis XV period commode commits the seller; Louis XV style explicitly means later. Where doubt remains, a serious dealer writes attributed to or circa 1780 rather than a false certainty.
Keep this document together with photographs taken on delivery. For resale, insurance or inheritance, that file is the best part of the provenance you will pass on.