Start with the present record
Give the object a stable record number and connect its photographs, current description and existing labels. ICOM’s documentation guidance includes object type, materials, measurements and identifying marks. Use such descriptive details to keep records connected, without implying that this proves a history. State who supplied the current account and when you wrote it down. If the same family story appears in three messages, do not count those repetitions as three independent pieces of evidence.
Build a source-linked timeline
Make columns for claimed event, date or range, source and unresolved question. A family recollection and a dated receipt should remain different kinds of entry. If a receipt refers only to a vase, record that limitation before attaching it to this particular vase. Keep scans or transcriptions linked to the original document’s identifier. Do not fill a missing decade with a typical historical journey suggested by an app or copied from a similar museum object.
State what the record does not establish
Finish with a short list of gaps: an unknown earlier owner, an undated photograph or an uncertain link between a document and the object. Keep provenance, identity and authenticity questions separate instead of letting one plausible answer settle all three. For a consequential decision, explain the unresolved questions to an appropriate specialist rather than presenting the timeline as proof. If you share the record, remove unrelated personal contact details while retaining enough source information for the recipient to understand the limits.
Take it with you
- Give every timeline statement a source.
- Do not turn repeated recollections into independent evidence.
- Keep gaps and different research questions visible.
Sources and further reading
Artifact ID
Artifacts and historical research
Artifact ID is a research aid, not authentication, certified appraisal or proof of provenance or ownership. AI attributions may be wrong or incomplete. Offline access concerns saved entries as described. Feature access and any paid options depend on current in-app terms.