Professional art registration
The cataloging of artifacts is an important foundation for all museum work.
Professional cataloging follows specific standards regarding cataloging elements and vocabulary, ensuring the preservation and accessibility of information.
Registration systems vary, but it is necessary to work with an electronic database that is searchable. It is important to ensure secure backup and storage of data.
Registration details*
Minimum registration requirements are emphasized. Other registration details are desirable.
A) Information about the work
Registration number. Unique number for each work. Usually a running number along with identifying letters that links the registration to a specific work.
Author's name. It is important that the name is always spelled the same, and a name list is available at the Library of the National Gallery of Iceland. Foreign names have the surname first, then the given name. Icelandic names are written in the conventional way.
It is desirable to register the minimum information about the author as and year of birth and death. It can also be useful to record an artist's nationality. Information about artists and their exhibition history is widely available in digital form, including from www.umm.is (Opens in a new browser window)
Project title: Sometimes from the author himself, from sources, or a descriptive title. It is desirable to specify explicitly where the title comes from, e.g., from the artist or other source. This is especially important if the cataloguer gives the work a descriptive title (e.g., Still Life with Apples, Boy with a Blue Hat).
Alternative titleTitles in foreign languages, or in some cases, other traditional names.
Copy/edition. i.e., which edition of multiples, graphics, books, and other items is being referred to. e.g., 24/50.
If the work belongs to a series, the following must be recorded:
Main title of a series or subseries
International serial number
Sequential index of each work in a series
Number of units. Records how many parts a composite work consists of.
A short description of the work is important for describing individual parts of a work and its subject matter, especially when dealing with complex works.
Manufacturer's name. Used when intellectual property is produced by others: e.g., the publisher of a book or graphic work, the producer of a multiple or video work, etc.
Country of origin and Place of production. Indicates where the work is made.
Starting years and Completed year indicate the age of the work. In most cases, it is only a matter of “Completed years,” but there are also examples of works that were in production for several years, and that information is then shown there. If a specific year is not known, it can be noted separately, e.g., “before,” “after,” or “around.”.
Size/scope. Note that height always comes before width. The unit used must be specified, e.g., cm. If videos are involved, the duration of the work must be specified.
Article and Subcategory. These are important search tools for classification, and it is important to select from the standardized lists. Below are the lists used by the National Gallery of Iceland, which it is desirable for other museums to also use to ensure consistency. In fact, these are not exhaustive lists but are compiled from the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland. If additions need to be made to the lists, it is best to do so in consultation with the National Gallery of Iceland. The National Gallery of Iceland also has definitions of terms that can be used when classifying works during registration.
Article
- Book art
- graphics
- Photography
- painting
- New media
- copy and paste
- sculpture
- drawing
- textile art
Subcategory
- Acrylic painting
- Mixed technique, graphite.
- Mixed-media light installation.
- Mixed technical issues.
- Mixed-media sketch.
- Mixed martial arts.
- Mixed technique-tex.
- Pencil drawings
- bookwork
- Patchwork quilt
- duck christ
- single-print
- fresh
- GIFs
- glass sculptures
- glasswork
- Glass pictures
- hand-painted photographs
- crocheted works
- sound recording
- sculptures
- installations
- charcoal drawings
- Copper spikes
- Chalk drawings
- Low-resolution images
- lacquer painting
- clay models
- small photographs
- metal scratches
- Metal sculptures
- mosaic
- tapestry
- Oil painting
- paper sculptures
- Pastel pictures
- pen drawings
- plastic sculptures
- copy and paste
- Composite photographs
- silk screen printing
- sketchbooks
- stone sculptures
- stone print
- black and white photographs
- Tempera painting
- textile sculptures
- computer art
- Computer print
- dry-point printing
- computer art
- Computer print
- wooden stools
- Wooden sculptures
- Marker drawings
- embroidery
- watercolor paintings
- Wax crayon drawings
- Video work
- Dry needle images
- Toxicity
Material. The main material, one or more, that the work is made of. If it is deemed necessary to mention other materials, this should be done through a description of the work. Two-dimensional works are often described with binding agent and supporting material, i.e. the material worked with and the material worked on. Thus, an oil painting has the binder oil pigment and the support canvas, linen, or masonite.
Inscription. All inscriptions on a work, except for the Signature, which is the name or initials of the creator and the year. Thus, an inscription is, for example, the edition number and edition size of a graphic work, a name written on the back of the work, or inscriptions on the work itself.
Endorsement i.e., how the author autographs the work is recorded as precisely as possible, it can even be recorded separately for each author's signature.
Signature Placement indicates where the work is signed, e.g., ntv or oth,
Content. Information about the work's content But this doesn't always apply; for example, it is difficult to classify many contemporary works according to subject lists. Subject matter can either be described or cataloged using standardized lists, which is an advantage because it is easy to search them. The National Gallery of Iceland uses the accompanying list. More detailed definitions of the terms can be found at the National Gallery of Iceland.
Subject matter
- Abstract art
- Industrial films
- fish processing
- Agricultural jobs
- seamanship
- Animal pictures
- Fish pictures
- Bird pictures
- animal movies
- Sagas
- Plant photos
- Indoor photos
- Still life paintings
- Landscape photos
- Portraits
- Portraits
- Model photos
- self-portraits
- Cartoons
- Civil engineering drawings
- Cityscapes
- Country house photos
- Port pictures
- Church paintings
- Village pictures
- Marine pictures
- Historical pictures
- Religious pictures
- Sagas – Norse
- Mythological films – Greco-Roman.
- Christian images
- Folklore films
- Adventure movies
Current situation. A brief description of the work's condition, including the date and assessor. More detailed information about the work's condition should be the responsibility of the conservator.
Preservation. For example, information about perishable materials (plastic, rubber). How to repair the work if necessary, e.g., where to purchase certain parts that could be damaged or wear out.
Installation of the work. It is necessary to obtain information from the artist about the installation and to document it with photographs of the installation.
Usage history. Can be important information, such as where a work has been exhibited.
Related works. Ensures that works produced in a “series” are kept together. This can also refer to a specific work being in a special relationship with a work by another author, serving as a kind of “variation.”.
Location. Information about where the works are stored or displayed. (Temporary and permanent location). It's best to have standardized lists to choose from to make it easy to find the works based on location. The date a work is installed or moved must be recorded. If a work consists of multiple parts, the location of each part must be recorded separately.
B) Information about the work's arrival at the museum and its value:
How to get. It matters whether a work is purchased, donated, or otherwise acquired by the collection.
Arrival day.
Seller-giver. Provides information about the seller and the donor (e.g., their identification number).
Origin and place of origin. The place the work comes from when it enters the museum. Where it was purchased.
Date of purchase/gift
Purchase price (Please specify the currency if works are purchased abroad)
Sponsors
Terms of purchase/gift.
Previous owner or ownership history. It is important to get this information from the seller or provider.
Insurance assessment, date, and who assesses.
Information about registration and permissions related to the work:
Date of registration and When changed. Information necessary to track the registration itself. (In many registration systems, this information is automatically entered when a work is registered or a registration is modified. Likewise, a “transaction number” is automatically entered and is independent of the registration number).
Name of the registrant Reports to the environment, records the information in the system
Registrar's sources. References to sources, e.g., interviews, certificates, or instructions that accompany the works.
Printed sources. References to sources for a specific work.
Preserved documents. Refers to documents that may be related to the work, letters of assignment, instructions, author's certificates, etc.
Photograph. A small photograph (in low resolution) of the work in question. A photograph is preferred for all entries. For three-dimensional works, photographs from several angles are required. Note: Large digital images can be taxing on the registration system, so it may be necessary to store such images in a separate database.
Photography. It is important to document information about photographs of the work that exist. For example, reference numbers, the type and size of the photographs and where they are stored, who took the photograph and when, and whether their use is subject to permission.
Copyright. Copyright information.
Finally, it is important to note that when new artworks are purchased or donated to a collection, it is crucial to conduct an in-depth interview with the artist and obtain as detailed information as possible about the work, such as its creation, installation, materials, and content. Questionnaires that can be used for such an interview are available from the National Gallery of Iceland.
Based on proposals developed for the Technical Committee of the Professional Council on Information Technology for standardized source registration in 1999 and guidelines from CIDOC.