# Provenance checklist — Artists & studios

Item / project: ______________________   Date: __________

## Before you start
[ ] List the items to tag, most valuable or most at risk first
[ ] Gather existing paperwork, photos and certificates for each item
[ ] Decide what information is public, shared or private
[ ] Choose tags: visible QR for discovery, secure NFC where authenticity matters

## Workflow
[ ] Create an identity per work — One record per piece — and one per impression in an edition — with title, date, medium, dimensions and edition number.
[ ] Document at creation — Add process photos, studio images, materials used, signature and verso photography, and an artist statement or short video.
[ ] Apply a secure NFC tag — Fix a secure NFC chip (such as NTAG 424 DNA) to the stretcher bar, backing board or plinth with reversible, acid-free adhesive.
[ ] Issue a digital certificate — Link a QR code on the paper certificate to the same identity, so the paper can always be checked against the live record.
[ ] Transfer to the first buyer — Record the sale and hand ownership of the record to the collector, keeping their personal details private.
[ ] Stay connected — Future sales, loans and exhibitions are appended to the record, giving you visibility of where your work travels.

## Record for each item
[ ] Title, date, medium, dimensions, edition
[ ] Signature, inscription and verso photos
[ ] Process and studio documentation
[ ] Artist statement, audio or video
[ ] Digital certificate of authenticity
[ ] First sale and later ownership events

## Toolkit to have ready
[ ] Secure NFC tags (NTAG 424 DNA) for authentication
[ ] Printed QR certificate with matching identity
[ ] Conservation-grade, reversible adhesive
[ ] SmartLinks for the digital identity and ownership transfer

## Check before you finish
[ ] Tag is on a reversible, non-original surface and its position is noted
[ ] Tag reads on at least one iPhone and one Android phone
[ ] Tag is locked against rewriting
[ ] Record opens from both the QR code and the NFC tag
[ ] Private details are hidden from the public view

Full guide: https://www.provenancestory.com/journeys/artists