The family of Felipe IV, or "The Portuguese ladies in waiting", Diego Velázquez of Silva (1599-1660). Linen (318x276 cm). Spanish school. Baroque XVIIth Century. DO THEY HAVE PRICE "THE PORTUGUESE LADIES IN WAITING"? for Teresa Navajas - Expert on market of the art - Few ones would dare to answer of affirmative form this indiscreet question. For many, the big Art belongs entirely to the cultural ideology in every society, background for it of economic blasphemies. On the contrary, the market of artistic pieces decides, every day and without staggering, the economic value of every work. But: who puts the price to the Art?

To realize a works of art appraisal consists of giving a price to the object trying to approach the possible maximum to his exact value and bearing in mind all the circumstances and details of the thing to be appraised. The appraisal, therefore, an expert must carry it out, that is to say, an expert who can recognize the virtue or the fraud of the work of art, by what his opinion and skill are included in this starting price that happens ultimately to the work. In fact, the final judgment is a personal, subjective opinion placed in his professional capacity. For the appraisal of the works of art, there is no generally admitted model of evaluation of goods, they being provided with periodic investigations based on different methodologies, which come to establish preferably indexes orientativos of the situation of the market or pitchforks of prices. In other cases it is an experts' committee who determines, by means of an individual evaluation, the quotation of the artist and his work on the market of the art. Based on a German methodology, it is published annually in the German magazine "Kapital", a list with the hundred best contemporary artists. The recognition of the efficacy of this hierarchic classification is so wide that even the proper academicians use it, as professional in his studies of contemporary markets of art. They emphasize the importance of this list, given that to they allow to determine the esthetic evaluation of the works of art, defined as regards the position of every artist in the world of the art according to the finished artistic production and a piece in particular. The ratification of the importance of an artist depends on the esthetic taste of a set of individuals and institutions that have been considered to be a reference in a certain historical period. When it changes this set, the values scale falters. If in previous epochs the famous Academies of Fine Arts were fixing the hierarchy of the taste, today this direction depends on the preferences of a minority of initiated: collectors, gallery owners, critics, conservatives and academicians. The assessor: profiles, capacities and limitations Of the above mentioned even the present one, it is clear that the works of art appraisal needs of a narrow collaboration to interdiscipline between different professionals; of a side, the scientific opinion takes charge of dilemmas like the authenticity, conservation or restoration; and for other the expert assessor statistician - mathematician analyzes the results contributed by the previous team. For the works of art study, one of the thorniest problems centers on the responsibility or author's attribution. When on the cataloging of a piece the doubt hovers based on his author, the market penalizes of contumacious form with a notable decrease of his value. The surnames “atribuidos to ”, “círculo of ”, “escuela of ” suppose a degradation in the quotations scale. This way, the real guarantees that can be contributed to the cataloging of the piece are considered to be sometimes slightly urgent and insufficient because the expert assessment process not always contributes conclusions satisfacientes. Be because the shift expert pronounces the last word –no always moved by philanthropic ends - culturales-, be because for the works not predestined to reach a high economic trip, it does not turn out to be profitable to waste all kinds of scientific studies of pigments, textiles … The professionals of the sector are usually the proper museums conservatives, university teachers of reputable trajectory, amateurs experts, relatives, friends of the creators, and his authorities endless number. The procedure usually goes to the accompanied use from a report in favor or against the piece. The contributed information has to contain the similar card: a) Origin of the work b) The inclusion of the work in the reasoned catalog of the author c) His exhibition in museums or participation in temporary exhibitions d) Bibliographical references e) Certifications of relatives or friends of the artist who could contribute information on the work (they saw as it realized it, to whom one sold it, etc.). Appraisal of Ancient art It looks like almost an evidence, without urgent need for clarification, that the Ancient art is quoted less than Contemporary art. The evaluation of this sector in the ambience of the auctions is certainly insufficient to tenor of the comparative indignation with the work of contemporary painters. For sample a button, in Spain painters' pieces of the XVIIIth century as Luis Paret and Citadel, Mariano Salvador Maella, Francisco and Ramón Bayeu, José del Castillo, Luis Egidio Meléndez, etc. scarcely reach 50.000 € with copies of considerable importance. Not that to say has, that the only artist of the XVIIIth century who manages to penetrate the meager national borders is Francisco de Goya and Bright. As head foundation, the Ancient art shows a very peculiar public, of slightly lucrative fortitude, with special tastes that tend to the esthetics over any symptom opportunist in fashionable key. The soundness of this sector provokes imperceptible changes in the evolution of the quotations. The namesake in the field of the finance there might be the bonds of the State: values of low short-term profitability but that guarantee the retention of the inverted thing. The experts in Ancient art argue reasons that explain, of peculiar form, the disadvantage of this segment. Of a side, the uncertainty opposite to the certainty in the attribution provokes a relative despondency the client, whom there suspects of the intentions (not always trasparentes) of below signatory or expert who expresses the certificate. Of other, not always agreeable subject-matter of the pieces, unable to adapt itself to the iconographic needs for the XXIst century. Already finally, to emphasize the incapability of the market to give exceptional pieces –en hands of museums, institutions and big collectors - reduces the necessary attraction to clean out to the colossus Contemporary art. Saving these distances, the current moment is presumed like a key moment for the investment in this genre of pieces because the eyes of the boldest collectors are turned towards the pieces of rabid actuality. This opportunity has shown up that still remains great for studying about works deposited on the market with somewhat deceitful cataloging. Let's remember the case of Ignacio de Ríes, direct disciple of Francisco de Zurbarán, bid in the room of auctions Segre of Madrid in 2006 that the astronomical number of 240.000 reached € departing from a base of 25.000 €. Could anybody see the opportunity of buy of a Zurbarán at bargain price or simply did cat take for hare?