Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0From a few days to two months
A certificate of authenticity is issued within 4 to 8 weeks of a complete file. This page details where that timeframe comes from and how to manage it.
The timeframe depends little on the value of the work and a great deal on three factors: the completeness of the file, the nature of the analyses needed and the availability of the expert.
Timeframes are monitored by the Certification Department and published each year in the Observatory's report.
Timeframes in figures
Source: Certification Department, 2024.
Duration by step
| Step | Timeframe | Can it be suspended? |
|---|---|---|
| Admissibility | 5 working days | Yes, if additional documents are requested |
| Appointment of the expert | 1 week | No |
| Visual and documentary examination | 1 to 2 weeks | No |
| Imaging and analyses | 1 to 4 weeks | If transport or sampling |
| Committee opinion | 1 week | No |
| Issuance | 2 days | No |
Timeframes by category of work
| Category | Median timeframe | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Recent work | 4 weeks | Few analyses, confirmation by the artist |
| Old painting | 7 weeks | Imaging and pigments |
| Bronze sculpture | 6 weeks | Alloy and patina |
| Tribal arts | 8 weeks | Research into origin and collection |
| Prints and drawings | 5 weeks | Paper, watermark, state of the proof |
What lengthens a case
How to shorten your timeframe
- Complete file
Check the list of documents before submission.
- Careful photographs
Avoid a request for new shots.
- Availability
Offer several examination slots.
- Quick reply
Reply within 48 hours to any request from the expert.
- Targeted analyses
Accept the analyses proposed rather than debating them.
Typical case, week by week
- Opening and admissibility
Checking of the file and quote.
- Expert appointed
End of the period for challenge.
- Examinations and imaging
Visual examination, archives, imaging.
- Analyses
Laboratory results.
- Committee
Reasoned decision.
- Issuance
Certificate delivered and entered.
Standard timeframe or complex case
Standard case
4 to 6 weeks- Complete documents
- Examination on site
- A single analysis
The vast majority of applications.
Complex case
8 weeks and more- Several laboratory analyses
- International transport
- Archives to be researched in several countries
A progress report is sent every 15 days.
How to follow your case
Your area shows the status of the case in real time, the current step and the expected date of the decision. You receive a message with every change of status.
If the announced timeframe is exceeded by more than 10 days, you may request a written progress report from the Certification Department, which replies within 3 working days.
Case study: a bronze in the laboratory
A six-week case
A late 19th-century bronze must be analysed to confirm the composition of the alloy.
- Admissibility in 4 days.
- Transport to the nearest partner laboratory.
- X-ray fluorescence analysis, then the expert's opinion.
Certificate issued in 6 weeks, transport included.
A promise of transparency
« We prefer to announce an honest timeframe than a flattering one. »
Vocabulary of timeframes
- Median timeframe
- Duration below which half of the cases fall.
- Suspension
- Interruption of the timeframe while awaiting a document.
- Progress report
- Written message on the progress of a case.
- Issuance
- Handing over of the certificate and entry in the Registry.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an urgent procedure?
No, but priority is given to museums and administrations for acquisitions and loans.
Does the timeframe run from submission?
From admissibility, that is, from a complete file.
Can I cancel if it takes too long?
Yes; the refund conditions depend on the stage reached.
Do timeframes vary between States?
Little: the method is common. Only international transport can lengthen a case.
Contacts
Related pages
ProcessFrom creating the account to issue of the certificate: the complete course of a certification application, with timeframes and statuses.›
Follow a caseStatuses, expert messages, additional documents, retrieval of documents: following a certification case online.›
PricesIndicative scale of certification acts, laboratory analysis fees, reductions and payment terms.›
Follow a case
Image credits (16)
- Sweet Melancholy, Joseph-Marie Vien (1756) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon (c. 1540) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Letter Box, Ogata Kōrin (1700s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Sports on a Frozen River, Aert van der Neer (ca. 1660) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Seal of Doge Michele Steno (reverse) (1400–1409) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of a Man, Louis Lafitte (1793) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Carnet (1863–1865) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Adoration of the Shepherds, Bernardo Cavallino (c. 1650) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Fish or Seal Club (X’ús’) (late 1800s–early 1900s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of a Woman, Anna Claypoole Peale (1820) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Teapot with Landscape and Imperial Poem, Chen Hanwen (1762–95) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Capriccio: A Palace with a Courtyard by the Lagoon, Antonio Canaletto (c. 1750–55) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Twilight in the Wilderness, Frederic Edwin Church (1860) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Carved Lacquer Scroll Box (1736–95) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Coin of Demetrios, I (reverse) (200–190 BCE) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of Isabella Brant, Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1620–25) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0