Principles for Artworks LABEL normalisation: The syntax for the resources complies with DNB standards.
1. The artists’ names come from the DNB (as for other resources); between the artist’s name and the artwork is added a slash; various artists are separated by a semicolon.
Label examples
a. Resources with one artist:
Dürer, Albrecht / Christ at the Mount of Olives
b. Resources with two artists:
Zenale, Bernardo; Butinone, Bernardino / Polyptych
c. Variants in DNB standardised names, as well as variants affecting syntax, are neglected. Conversely, different names are added in the Description section
e.g. Del Verrocchio, Andrea
In the Description: Also known as: Cione, Andrea; Cioni, Andrea
d. For architectures no indication is added about the author (since they might be many); additional authors are included in the Description
e. In workshop artworks the indication will be “workshop”.
e.g. Raffaello, Sanzio (workshop) / Title
f. For ‘field’ or ‘circle’, the indication will be “circle”.
Raffaello, Sanzio (circle) / Title
2. For mobile works (paintings and sculptures), titles follow a linguistic principle: Artworks titles are in English (an accurate observation of different web sites has revealed that no one is providing normalised data for artworks; the DNB stores few artworks, futhermore its vocabulary is uneven, e.g. Pietà vs Beweinung). The team creates a glossary constantly updated with new titles (see the Vocabulary of the National Gallery, London)
a. In order to distinguish artworks with the same name, the title of both museum and city is added
e.g. Leonardo, da Vinci / The Virgin of the Rocks (Louvre, Paris)
e.g. Leonardo, da Vinci / The Virgin of the Rocks (NG, London)
b. In order to ensure titles homogeneity, a glossary is added (see p. 5)
c. In case of lost artworks, then the indication is ‘lost’;
e.g . Botticini, Francesco / Christ on the cross and four saints (lost)
3. In architectures (where artworks and location are strictly connected), titles follow a historical principle (t.i. the language of the location). In case of languages different from English, French, German and Italian (e.g. Czech, Dutch, Flemish, etc.), then English will be the adopted language, possibly indicating in the Description section the title in the original language. The DNB (category “Geografika”) mainly follows the historical principle, otherwise, when this principle is not respected, it provides the historical designation under “Andere Namen”. For this reason DNB remains a reference point. The location is indicated within brackets
e.g. Castel Sant’Angelo (Rome)
Palazzo Pitti (Florence)
Rocca di Ravaldino (Forlì)
San Felice in Piazza (Florence)
a. For parts of architectural structures (Cappella, Sala, etc.), DNB syntax is indicative (although not coherent, see “Santa Croce” and its architectural parts)
Santa Croce (Florence) / Cappella Pazzi
4. In the Description section
a. Mobile artworks:
i. various artist names (see 1. c.)
ii. “historical” titles in foreign languages are added at the end of the Description with the specification ‘Also known as’
e.g. Also known as: La Vierge aux rochers; La Vergine delle rocce
e.g. for Gleyre, Charles / The Sorceress
Also known as: La Charmeuse; Die Zauberin
N.B. Location is not repeated
iii. In case of several titles in English, then the English variant is the first one, while titles in other languages are added later
e.g. Also known as: Portrait of a Young Woman; Prinzessin von Urbino
iv. Any other comment
e.g. Copy after Holbein’s Meyer Madonna (for Sarburgh, Bartholomäus / Madonna)
v. In case of lost artworks, the Description indicates the museum or the collection where the work used to be, as well as the possible date (or timespan) in which it got lost
e.g. Formerly Berlin, Kaiser Friedrich Museum, inv. 70 A. Probably destroyed in 1945
vi. Order for data input:
1) ‘Also known as’ for artists names variants
2) ‘Also known as’ for language variants in artworks names
b. Architectural artworks
i. Possible architect’s name
e.g. for San Lorenzo (Florence) / Sagrestia Vecchia
Architect: Brunelleschi, Filippo
ii. Titles in English
e.g. Also known as: Isenburg Palace (Offenbach am Main)
iii. Avoid pleonasms: do not repeat half English, half Italian titles like Basilica of San Lorenzo (Florence) (since the artwork can still be found with “San Lorenzo”)
iv. Order for data input:
1) Architect (it is only indicated once, followed by colon :, other architects names are added later)
2) ‘Also known as’ for architects names variants
3) ‘Also known as’ for language variants of the monument names
5. Glossary for mobile works
Last updated 2016-04-20