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What does mean E.A., A.P., P.A. ... on a bookplate?

 

What does mean E.A., A.P. or P.A.?

 

Artist proof of a bookplate by Igor Benca (SK).

The artist always prints a few copies for his own use apart from the edition for his client. 
These prints are called 'artist proofs'.
Instead of a fraction that indicates the edition, you will find on these prints a couple of characters that may differ depending of the language of the artist:

• A.P. or A/P stands for 'artist proof'. 
  
• E.A. or e.a. or E/A stands for 'épreuve d'artiste' which means 'artist proof' in French.
  
• P.A. is less used. It stands for 'prova d'artista' or 'prova d'autore' in Italian.
  

Some artists also number these artist proofs, often with Roman numerals. 
Others omit the characters and only use Roman numerals to indicate it concerns an artist proof.

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Bookplate by David Bekker (UA) with all its useful data.

In the image above, a bookplate by the Ukrainian artist Bekker, we see the indication E/A for 'artist proof', followed by the technical data C4 and C7 and the numbering of the artist proof in Roman numerals.

 

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