Private collectors often notice condition details in passing: a small mark on a frame, a loose backing paper, a new scratch in glazing, or a label that should be photographed before the artwork moves again. Those observations are most useful when they become a dated record instead of a memory.
This checklist is for collector recordkeeping. It can help you prepare a clear private file with photos, notes, documents, and open questions. It does not replace advice from a conservator, insurer, appraiser, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified human reviewer.
Start with current photos
Take fresh photos before writing the report. Include the full front, full back, frame edges, hanging hardware, labels, marks, signatures, edition details, and any visible condition issue you want to remember. For three-dimensional works, add all primary sides and any underside or base markings that can be photographed safely.
Keep the photos dated and unedited except for ordinary cropping that does not remove useful context. If lighting makes a detail hard to see, add another photo rather than relying on a written description alone.
Record the artwork identity
A condition report should identify the object it describes. Add the artwork title or plain description, artist or maker if known, date or approximate date if known, medium, dimensions, edition information if relevant, and your internal inventory identifier.
Keep uncertain details labeled as uncertain. Use wording such as "artist listed on receipt," "signature may read," "family note says," or "needs review" when the source does not support a stronger statement.
Note the frame, mount, and glazing
Frames and display materials often explain what changed between one review and the next. Record the frame material or color, matting or mount, glazing if present, backing board, hanging hardware, and any visible changes such as chips, loose corners, cracked glazing, dust, staining, or gaps.
Describe what you can see without turning the note into a repair instruction. "Visible chip on lower left frame corner" is more useful for a private archive than a guess about cause or a treatment recommendation.
Capture labels, marks, and documents
Photograph and transcribe visible labels, stamps, inscriptions, gallery tags, inventory numbers, frame shop labels, or shipping labels. If text is unclear, say that it could not be determined rather than filling the gap from memory.
Attach supporting documents beside the condition record when they exist: purchase receipts, prior condition notes, framing invoices, conservation documents, shipping records, loan notes, or correspondence summaries. These documents support context, but they should not be described as resolving authenticity, attribution, ownership, current value, or insurance coverage.
Write visible changes in plain language
Condition notes age best when they stay close to observation. Record visible changes such as scratches, dents, tears, ripples, staining, fading, loose parts, dust, surface deposits, cracked glazing, frame damage, or a label that has lifted from the back.
Add location and scale when possible: upper right corner, lower edge, back of frame, left side of base, about the size of a coin, or visible only in raking light. If you are unsure whether something is new, label it as "noted on" the report date instead of saying when it happened.
Track location and handling context
Add the artwork's current location, room, storage area, or custodian. If the report was created because the work moved, note the move date, previous location, new location, and any handling context you want remembered.
A location note helps explain why a condition record exists. It also makes later reviews easier because the next person can see whether the artwork was rehung, stored, loaned, shipped, framed, or returned since the last dated observation.
Use a repeatable checklist
A short checklist is easier to repeat than a long narrative. Keep one dated row per review, then add photos and documents to the artwork record.
| Checklist item | What to record | Careful boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Report date | Date, reviewer name, and reason for the review. | Make the record dated rather than permanent. |
| Photos | Front, back, frame, labels, marks, and visible condition details. | Photos show visible context; they are not a conservation conclusion. |
| Identity fields | Title, description, artist or maker if known, medium, size, and inventory ID. | Label uncertain attribution or dates for review. |
| Frame and display | Frame, mount, glazing, backing, hardware, and visible frame changes. | Describe visible issues without prescribing treatment. |
| Labels and marks | Photos and plain transcriptions of labels, stamps, marks, and inscriptions. | Use "could not determine" when text is unclear. |
| Location | Current room, wall, storage area, custodian, or movement note. | Update location when the artwork moves. |
| Supporting documents | Prior notes, framing records, shipping records, conservation documents, and correspondence summaries. | Documents support context; they do not settle authenticity or value questions. |
Keep Archivale as the private record hub
Archivale is shaped around one private record per artwork: photos, human-confirmed fields, supporting documents, notes, and exports that can be reviewed when a dated record is useful. A condition checklist fits naturally beside the same artwork record instead of living in a separate folder.
The boundary matters. Archivale helps organize private collection information. It does not evaluate condition, authenticate artwork, determine attribution, appraise value, provide conservation guidance, provide legal or tax guidance, or make insurance coverage decisions.