Antiquities & Ethnographic Art

Ethnographic & Tribal Art: What to Record

Masks, figures, textiles, weapons and everyday objects of indigenous peoples.

The Data Sheet for Ethnographic & Tribal Art

The 36 fields worth recording for ethnographic & tribal art, grouped as in the ordicio app. Fields marked with a broader category come from it; the others are specific to ethnographic & tribal art.

Identification

Object type Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: What the object is, in the most specific common term, e.g. commode, tea caddy, candlestick, longcase clock.
Culture Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Culture or people, e.g. Roman, Ancient Egyptian, Etruscan, Moche, Yoruba, Maori.
Period Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Archaeological or historical period with dates, e.g. Late Bronze Age (c. 1300 to 800 BC), Ptolemaic period.
Function / use Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: What the object was used for, e.g. oil lamp, votive figure, ritual mask, weapon.
Materials Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Materials the object is made of, main material first.
Technique Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: How the object was made or decorated.
People / ethnic group Text: People or group that made and used the object.
Region of origin Choice, or your own: World region of the culture.
Africa
Oceania
Americas (pre-Columbian)
Americas (indigenous later)
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Arctic
Use Choice: Whether the object was used in its culture or made for sale.
Ritual / ceremonial
Everyday use
Made for trade / tourists
Unknown

Measurements

Height (cm) Number Antiquities & ethnographic art: Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.
Width (cm) Number Antiquities & ethnographic art: Width, measured from the front.
Depth (cm) Number Antiquities & ethnographic art: Depth, measured from front to back.
Weight (g) Number Antiquities & ethnographic art: Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).

Marks & features

Inscriptions & marks Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Signatures, labels, stamps, hallmarks, maker's marks and numbers, transcribed as they appear and with their position.
Distinguishing features Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Damage, repairs or peculiarities that identify this very object (helps to recognise it after a loss or theft).

Provenance & legal

Documentation of lawful origin and ownership history.

Documented before 1970 Choice Antiquities & ethnographic art: Whether the object is documented outside its country of origin before the 1970 UNESCO Convention or another legal cut-off date.
Yes, documented before 1970
Yes, documented before the relevant national cut-off date
Legally excavated / found and reported
No, later provenance only
Unknown
Export licence Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Export licence or certificate of the source country, and import documents, with numbers.
Restitution / claims check Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Checks against loss and claims registers (Art Loss Register, Interpol, Lost Art) and their results.
CITES status Choice Antiquities & ethnographic art: Listing of the species or material under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Not listed
Appendix I
Appendix II
Appendix III
Exempt (pre-Convention / antique)
Unknown
Permits & documents Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Collecting, export, import or trade permits and certificates with their numbers and issuing authority.
Field collection Text: For ethnographic objects - who collected the object in the field, when and where.

Condition

Condition Choice Antiquities & ethnographic art: Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
Mint / as new
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Condition notes Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.
Certificate / expertise Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Certificates of authenticity or expert opinions, with issuer, date and number.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date Antiquities & ethnographic art: Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own Antiquities & ethnographic art: How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount Antiquities & ethnographic art: Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount Antiquities & ethnographic art: Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date Antiquities & ethnographic art: Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice Antiquities & ethnographic art: What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount Antiquities & ethnographic art: Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text Antiquities & ethnographic art: Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.