Provenance Certification

Not all furniture offered as “Vladimir Kagan designed” is original or genuine Kagan furniture. Within the resale market, there is considerable confusion caused by non-standard reupholstery of authentic Kagan furniture, as well as the presence of furniture produced by others “in the style of Vladimir Kagan,” and outright forgeries.

There are only two certifiable categories of Vladimir Kagan design: 

- Furniture built in the Kagan factory are identified as Original Kagan Classic Designs.
- Furniture built under license by authorized manufacturers are identified as Authorized Licensed Designs.

This second group are produced by outside manufacturers and are not engineered with a construction comparable to the Kagan Classic standards.

While these designs are Kagan originals, we cannot provide certification in these cases because the items were not produced at our facility.

Finding an original “Kagan Classic” is rare and therefore substantially more valuable.

Early Kagan furniture was seldom signed or labeled, and the bespoke nature of the business created many one-of-a-kind or highly unique variants; even auction houses are often deceived. 

A Kagan Certified Provenance will differentiate an original Kagan Classic Design from licensed products and reproductions. Accordingly, certification will enhance the value of your Kagan-designed furniture.

In identifying these pieces, Vladimir Kagan Design Group recognizes details in the joinery, finishing methods, shaping and the overall "handwriting" of these early designs. The extensive archival collection of Kagan furniture, photographs, sketches and shop drawings, contribute to our reading of these original works.

Authenticated Kagan Classic furniture will receive a registered Provenance Certificate, identifying the furniture by model number and the date it was designed. The Vladimir Kagan Design Group will maintain this registration in a secure computerized database. In addition, the client will receive a Registration Plaque with a unique serialized registration number (to be attached to the item of furniture).

The fee for certification is $500 per item. When there are multiples of the same designs, such as dining chairs, each additional plaque costs $50.

All submissions must include photographs taken from several angles and any available documentation such as upholstery labels and invoices. We must receive payment before authentication services will be rendered.

Payments by check or credit card are acceptable, please contact us for additional information.

When a submission is deemed to be an unauthorized reproduction, an explanation of the rejection will be provided and 50% of the service fee will be refunded.

We encourage you to reach out with any questions and look forward to learning more about your collection!

The Vladimir Kagan Design Group