Finding an artwork in a museum catalogue

Keep precise clues

Record institution, title, attribution, technique and inventory number. If you remember only the subject, add room, exhibition and distinctive details. A permitted photograph of the label supports notes but does not replace a readable transcription. Broad terms such as ‘old portrait’ produce many results. Format, material, gesture or accessories narrow the search and help compare candidates.

Start broadly, then filter

Try the number or name before enabling every filter. Shorten the title, test spelling variants and widen the period if nothing appears. Titles can change with language. The Louvre catalogue provides search and filters, but every database has its own vocabulary. A category different from the one you assumed can conceal a result without the object being absent.

Verify the result, not just its resemblance

Compare maker, attribution, technique, dimensions, number and institution. For prints, consider the specific impression; for sculpture, model and example; for photography, the print’s information. An identical title is insufficient. An image published elsewhere can reproduce a work without being its collection record. Follow references to the institution preserving the object to verify the necessary information.

Keep a durable reference

No result does not prove the museum lacks the object: digitisation and publication can be partial. Consult help pages and exhibition publications. Save the direct link, number and consultation date. Distinguish the record from its image file, whose address can change. If contacting the institution, provide your clues and a precise question; a contextual request is easier to handle.

Common questions

Is a Google result enough to identify a work?

It can provide a lead. The collection record lets you check the object’s identity and information.

Is an online work on display?

Not necessarily. Check location, exhibition status and current conditions.

Should you search in one language only?

Try title and name variants offered by the database, especially when it uses another language.

Method and references

Reading advice and exercises written for this guide. The references extend the documentary and technical explanations. Check visit conditions with each institution.

Louvre — About the collections website