Categories for the Description of Works of Art

DEFINITION

Placement of a work of art or architecture within a classification scheme that groups other, similar works together on the basis of similar characteristics.

SUBCATEGORIES

2.1. Classification Term 🔺
2.2. Remarks
2.3. Citations
- 2.3.1. Page
Examples

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Classification terms or codes are used to place a work of art or architecture in a useful organizational scheme that has been devised by a repository, collector, or other person or entity. Formal classification systems are used to relate a work of art or architecture to broader, narrower, and related objects. Classification terms group similar works together according to varying criteria.

Kinds of classification schemes

This category generally does not include classification strictly by style, period, or subject, since these attributes are accommodated in their own categories. However, some repositories classify their collections by geographic region or period. A classification scheme may be a hierarchy, typology, or informal grouping. For example, with a hierarchically structured classification system based on general classes of objects, connections between the broader term (furniture) and the narrower terms (chairs, tables, or beds) can be made. A classification scheme based on social function might connect all works with a liturgical function, whether or not the Object/Work Type (1.2) are textiles, metalwork, books, or furnishings. The placement of a work within such a scheme implies similarities among works within the logic of the classification.

The same work of art or architecture can be classified in many different ways. For example, a sculpture may be seen as both a carving and a mask; a lithographic poster may be classified as a print or an advertising graphic; a church may be classified as both a religious structure and a public building. The subcategories in this category repeat together as a group.

How a work is classified will often depend on the context within which it is being described. For example, a textile collection may have a much more detailed system for classifying textiles than a history museum does. A textile collection may classify a dress according to its construction, or the materials it incorporates. In a history museum, dress may be supplemented by more generic classifications, such as women’s clothing or Ukrainian clothing.

Classification is often used to provide order for collections management. It may correspond to the structure of curatorial departments within a museum, although this is not always the case. Classification in terms of a shelf list or other scheme for noting the physical location of the object is a collections management concern outside the scope of the CDWA. Classification terminology may be locally developed, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum Classification System ¹, or widely available, such as schemes based on the AAT or Revised Nomenclature.

The assignment of classification terms should be based on local guidelines specific to a particular institution. Classification terms should be assigned after an examination of the object, if possible. Alternatively, published or unpublished sources may be consulted.

Cataloging rules

For the subcategories in this section, basic recommendations and discussion are provided below. For a fuller, more prescriptive set of cataloging rules for Classification Term (2.1), see “Chapter 7: Class” in Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO), which deals with a critical subset of the CDWA.

RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS

Classification Term (2.1) is a Primary Access Point. It should be accessible in combination with Object/Work Type (1.2) and other categories.

Classification on the basis of style or period should be repeated in Styles/Periods/Groups/Movements (5). Classification on the basis of subject matter should be repeated in Subject Matter (16). Terms that identify the work or its parts should be repeated in Object/Work Type (1.2) or Components. Often works that do not have titles are known by their Classification Term (2.1) or Object/Work Type (1.2); repeat these terms in Titles or Names (3). Catalogers may expand on classification based on use in the Context (17) category.

2.1 Classification Term 🔺

DEFINITION

The term from a classification scheme that has been assigned to a work.

EXAMPLES

architecture
paintings [Figure 2] and [Figure 17]
sculpture [Figure 5] and [Figure 46]
graphic arts [Figure 30a] [Figure 30b] and [Figure 34]
decorative arts [Figure 14]
textiles
costume
tools
furniture [Figure 13]
ceramics [Figure 75]
European art
Asian art
Pre-Columbian art

DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES

Required: Record one or more terms designating the broad class into which the work may be organized. If there are multiple classification terms for one work, record them in repeating instances of Classification Term (2.1). Record a term or terms that relate the work to other works with similar characteristics, including materials, form, shape, function, region of origin, cultural context, or historical or stylistic period, based on the organizational scheme of a particular repository or collection.

Specificity

A Classification term should typically be more general than the specific term recorded in Object/Work Type (1.2). For example, if a work is identified as a chair in Object/Work Type (1.2), it could have a broader Classification (2) of furniture. However, the Object/Work Type (1.2) and Classification (2) are sometimes the same. The level of specificity to which a work is classified (for example, whether a spindle-back rocking chair is classified as furniture or chair or rocking chair) will depend on the perspective of the discipline involved and the policy of the individual institution. Determining an appropriate level should be left to the discretion of the institution.

Form and syntax

Generally use the plural form of nouns, since classifications represent groups of similar items, not an individual item (e.g., prints and drawings). When the term refers to a broad type and the plural form is not appropriate, use the singular form (e.g., sculpture, architecture). Use compound concepts when appropriate for your institution’s collection; compound concepts are terms composed of multiple concepts (e.g., European paintings). Capitalize the proper names of culture, nationality, period, or style where appropriate (e.g., Pre-Columbian ceramics). For other terms, use lower case. Avoid abbreviations.

Classification terms are drawn from ordered systems of categories or from hierarchically structured thesauri. These terms may be locally defined, developed from common usage within a particular discipline, or developed as a national or international standard.

TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT

Authority or controlled list: Control terminology with theGeneric Generic Concept Authority (30), or devise a more concise controlled list for this subcategory.

Sources of terminology may include the following: AAT (especially Objects facet), ACRL/RBMS Genre Terms, ACRL/RBMS Paper Terms, ACRL/RBMS Printing and Publishing Evidence, Base Mérimée: Lexique, the British Archaeological Thesaurus, ICOM Costume Terms, the Index of Jewish Art, ISO 5127-3: Iconic Documents, ISO 5127-11: Audio-visual Documents, LC Descriptive Terms for Graphic Materials, Moving Image Materials, Revised Nomenclature, Reyniès’ Le Mobilier Domestique, Social History and Industrial Classification, Dizionario Terminologico della Suppellettile Ecclesiastica, Objets religieux/Religious objects: Méthode d’analyse et vocabulaire/User’s Guide and Terminology, and Tozzer Library Headings.