Edition

An edition may be numbered, signed and accompanied by proofs, but practice varies by period and medium. The number before the slash does not indicate quality or printing order. Artist's proofs are often marked EA or AP and usually sit outside the numbered edition.

When Edition appears in a description, the term helps specify a work's form, status or history. Its precise meaning should always be read alongside information about material, technique, date and origin.

Specialist terminology is most useful when it can be supported. Signatures, labels, edition numbers, documentation and visible traces in the object can all help establish whether a term is accurate in a particular case.