Every work offered through the Exchange arrives with its roots. Not a certificate, and not an opinion. The full record of where a thing came from and how that is known.
We publish this standard for two reasons. A custodian deserves to know what will be asked of them before they ask anything of us. And a standard that is written down is harder to quietly lower.
Identification. Maker, attribution level, medium, dimensions, and every inscription, seal and colophon. On many Chinese and Japanese works the ownership record is written on the face of the work itself. We read it before we read anything else.
Lineage. Ownership from the present back as far as the evidence carries, with dates and documents. Where the record breaks, we say so. A named gap is honest. An unnamed one is not.
Authentication. Who authenticated the work, by what method, and with what scientific support: pigment and paper analysis, thermoluminescence for ceramics, catalogue raisonné reference, and studio or foundation registration where one exists.
Condition. Conservation and restoration history, including remounting. A remounted scroll is normal. An undocumented remount is a hole in the record.
Title and export. Legal ownership, encumbrances, export licences, and cultural property status in the country of origin: protected relic grades in China, Important Cultural Property designation in Japan, National Treasure status in Korea. Some works cannot leave. Some cannot change hands at all. We establish which before anything else proceeds.
Custody. Where the work sits during the float, under what climate and security conditions, insured by whom, and held by whom.
Valuation. Comparable results with dates and prices, the method used, the person who applied it, and their independence from this house.
Terms. The portion offered, the price, the timeline, and the institution that receives the heritage contribution on every trade.
A work with shallow roots is not offered. That decision belongs to the curatorial board, which earns no fee tied to outcomes and holds no interest in the result.
If your records are incomplete
You do not need to arrive with all of this. Most collections hold more of it than they think, scattered across correspondence, insurance files and old catalogues. Bring us what exists and we will tell you honestly what is missing and whether it can be recovered.
Curate · Preserve Heritage · Empower the Future
Return to the work
Orchids remain on every path. Keep walking through the Collective, or write to us.
