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Certification

Digital certifications

A time-stamped fingerprint and a token backed by the paper certificate to follow a work's history without ever separating it from its file.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 4 min read

Pages in this section

Mirror with Concentric Circles, an Immortal, and Auspicious Animals (25–100 CE)Backed NFTsThe non-fungible token backed to a work's file: what it is for, how it is passed on and what it does not do.› Historiated Initial (O) Excised from an Antiphonary: The Donor, Gorus Fucci, Kneels before Christ (c. 1300–1350)BlockchainHow a certificate's fingerprint is calculated, recorded on a distributed ledger operated by OIMAP and then anchored and time-stamped on a public blockchain.› Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Chrysanthemum and Plum (lid) (late 1800s-early 1900s)VerificationCheck the authenticity of a digital certificate free of charge and without an account: number, QR code, file or token.›

Digital technology in the service of proof

Letter Box, Ogata Kōrin (1700s)
Letter Box, Ogata Kōrin (1700s)

Digital certification does not replace the certificate: it extends it. It gives the paper certificate a tamper-proof, time-stamped fingerprint that anyone can verify, anywhere, at any time.

Launched in 2022, it rests on a prudent principle: digital proves, paper commits. Every digital certification is backed by a certificate issued under the usual procedure, with an independent expert and committee opinion.

1,247 digital certifications have been issued. They are of particular interest to auction houses, insurers and collectors who circulate their works.

  • Fingerprint
  • Time-stamping
  • Backed token
  • Public verification

Digital in figures

1,247certifications issued
7 daystimeframe
€220indicative price excl. VAT
100%backed by a paper certificate

Source: OIMAP Observatory, 2024.

Three pages to understand

Arion on a Sea Horse and Bacchante on a Panther (pair), William Adolphe Bouguereau (1855)TokenBacked NFTs

The non-fungible token linked to the file: what it is and what it is not.

›Annunciation to the Shepherds: Leaf from a Book of Hours (1 of 6 Excised Leaves), Henri d'Orquevaulx (c. 1420–30)TechnologyBlockchain

How the fingerprint is calculated, anchored and time-stamped.

›TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples (9–23 CE)CheckVerification

Check a digital certificate online, without an account.

›

What digital certification does

It calculates a digital fingerprint (hash) of the certificate and its file, records it on a distributed ledger operated by OIMAP, then anchors it, with a time stamp, on a public blockchain. Any later change to the document would change the fingerprint and be detected immediately.

It can also issue a non-fungible token (NFT) that serves as an access title to the digital file. This token is passed on with the work, but it is never a title of ownership.

Sweet Melancholy, Joseph-Marie Vien (1756)
Sweet Melancholy, Joseph-Marie Vien (1756)
Lampas with foliate medallions in ogival lattice (1400s)
Lampas with foliate medallions in ogival lattice (1400s)
Jar with Stamped Decoration (1400s)
Jar with Stamped Decoration (1400s)

From the committee opinion to the fingerprint

  1. Paper certificate issued

    The certificate is signed, sealed and entered in the Registry.

  2. Calculation of the fingerprint

    A cryptographic fingerprint of the certificate and the file is calculated.

  3. Entry in the distributed ledger

    The fingerprint is recorded on the ledger operated by OIMAP.

  4. Anchoring and time-stamping

    It is anchored on a public blockchain, with a certain date.

  5. Issuance of the token

    On request, a backed NFT is issued and handed to the owner.

A rule without exception

Fingerprint alone or fingerprint and token

Seal of Doge Michele Steno (reverse) (1400–1409)

Fingerprint alone

Proof of integrity
  • Anchoring and time-stamping
  • Verifiable by all
  • No token issued

Sufficient for most needs.

Jar with Design in Underglaze Iron (1800s–1900s)

Fingerprint and backed token

Proof and access title
  • The token is passed on with the work
  • Access to the digital file
  • History of transfers

Useful for works that circulate a great deal.

What digital certification does and does not prove

Scope of digital certification
It provesIt does not prove
That the certificate has not been altered since it was issuedThat the work is authentic on its own
The date of issue, with certaintyThe current ownership of the work
The identity of the token attached to the workThe value of the work

Use of digital certification in 2024

Auction houses41%
Collectors33%
Galleries17%
Museums9%

Share of the 1,247 certifications. Source: OIMAP Observatory.

The digital milestones at OIMAP

  1. Reflection

    Working group on digital traceability.

  2. Pilot

    Trial with three auction houses.

  3. Launch

    Opening of digital certification at the Desk.

  4. 1,247 certifications

    Integration into the work passport.

Turtleback Reading Lamp, Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company (c. 1895–1902)
Turtleback Reading Lamp, Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company (c. 1895–1902)
Mirror with Concentric Circles, an Immortal, and Auspicious Animals (100 BCE–100 CE)
Mirror with Concentric Circles, an Immortal, and Auspicious Animals (100 BCE–100 CE)
Compass and Sun Dial (1700–1750)
Compass and Sun Dial (1700–1750)

Case study: a remote sale

A buyer thousands of kilometres away

Situation

A collector in Singapore buys a bronze remotely from an auction house in Paris.

Actions
  1. The buyer scans the certificate's QR code.
  2. She checks the fingerprint on the verification page.
  3. She receives the backed token with the work.
Outcome

Even before delivery, she has proof of integrity that is independent of the auction house.

A principle of modesty

Daffodil Table Lamp, Tiffany Studios (c. 1910–13)
« Technology does not make a work any more true. It makes the certificate harder to forge. »
Prof. Hiroshi Tanabe, member of the certification committee

Vocabulary of digital

Fingerprint (hash)
Unique code calculated from a file; it changes if the file changes.
Time-stamping
Proof of the date on which a fingerprint existed.
Distributed ledger
Database shared between several nodes, difficult to alter.
NFT
Non-fungible token, unique, attached to an object or a file.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a digital wallet?

Only to receive the token. Verifying the fingerprint requires no account.

Is digital certification mandatory?

No, it is optional.

What happens if I lose access to my token?

The owner can request reissue of the token after an identity check; the old one is cancelled.

Is personal data public?

No. Only the fingerprint is public, never the content of the file.

Useful documents

Contacts

Small Mosque in the Kaiserbagh, Felice A. Beato (1858)
Small Mosque in the Kaiserbagh, Felice A. Beato (1858)
Certification DepartmentParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 00 00certification@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Request a digital certification

Teapot with Landscape and Imperial Poem, Chen Hanwen (1762–95)

Add a tamper-proof fingerprint to an existing or future certificate.

Request a certification
Image credits (22)
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