Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0A journey in five stages
Whatever act is requested, the file follows the same path: opening, admissibility, expert examination, decision, issue. Each step has a timeframe and a status visible online.
The process is designed to be predictable: at any moment you know where your file stands, who is handling it and what is expected of you.
The timeframes indicated run from a complete file. A request for additional documents suspends the timeframe until they are received.
The process in figures
The detailed course
- 1. Opening the file1 day
You create an account, describe the work, attach the documents and pay the 30% deposit. A file number is given to you.
- 2. Admissibility5 working days
The Desk checks identity, right to act, completeness of the file and the absence of a BIOP alert on the work.
- 3. Appointment of the expert1 week
An accredited expert is drawn by lot in the specialty. You may request their recusal within 5 days.
- 4. Examination and analyses2 to 6 weeks
Visual examination, documentary research and, if useful, laboratory analyses.
- 5. Committee opinion1 week
The committee examines the reasoned opinion and gives its decision.
- 6. Issue2 days
The certificate is signed, sealed, given a QR code and entered in the Registry. You receive the original and its digital version.
The statuses of a file
| Status | What it means | Your action |
|---|---|---|
| Received | File registered, deposit received | None |
| Admissibility | Checking of documents under way | None |
| Additional documents requested | A document or a clarification is missing | Reply within 15 days |
| Expert appointed | An expert is assigned | Challenge possible within 5 days |
| Analyses in progress | Examinations and laboratory | Make the work available if requested |
| Committee opinion | Decision being prepared | None |
| Issued or Refused | Decision given and reasoned | Collect the certificate or request a re-examination |
Timeline of a standard file
- Opening
Deposit paid, file number given.
- Admissibility
File declared complete.
- Expert appointed
End of the recusal period at D+17.
- Analyses
Examinations and laboratory.
- Committee opinion
Decision given.
Complete rather than start again
What happens during the expert examination
The expert makes contact to arrange the examination. Depending on the work, they travel to the site, or the work is presented at an approved venue, or insured transport is arranged to a laboratory.
Samples, when necessary, are limited to the strict minimum, documented and taken by the laboratory. You are informed before any intervention on the work.
Examination on site or in the laboratory
Examination on site
The expert travels- No transport of the work
- Visual examination and portable imaging
- Shorter timeframe
Suited to fragile or large-format works.
Laboratory examination
The work is entrusted to a partner laboratory- Full analyses (spectroscopy, carbon 14)
- Transport insured by OIMAP or an approved carrier
- Longer timeframe
Necessary for physico-chemical analyses.
What you must do at each step
Case study: a provenance file
A family collection
A family wishes to sell a painting acquired by a great-grandfather. They have old photographs but no invoice.
- Opening of the file with photographs, testimonies and a letter from the original buyer.
- Supplement requested: probate deed.
- Archive research by the expert, cross-checking with the BIOP.
The certificate of provenance is issued in five weeks and allows the sale approval.
Frequently asked questions
Can I interrupt an application?
Yes; before the expert is appointed the deposit is refunded at 70%; afterwards the costs incurred are retained.
How long is my file kept?
For the whole life of the work in the Registry. You may request a copy at any time.
What happens in case of refusal?
A reasoned decision is notified. A re-examination is possible within 30 days; the re-examination fee is 30% of the initial fee.
Can a file be expedited?
Priority processing is offered to museums and administrations; there is no paid urgent procedure.
Useful documents
Contacts
Related pages
Create an accountRegistration at the OIMAP Desk, identity verification, profiles and access security.›
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.›
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Image credits (15)
- Twilight in the Wilderness, Frederic Edwin Church (1860) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Seal with Two Qilin Playing (1849) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Side Drawer for Cabinet, André-Charles Boulle (c. 1690) — 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
- Boy with Anchor, Winslow Homer (1873) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Carved Lacquer Scroll Box (1736–95) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Corner Cabinet, René Dubois (c. 1765–1770) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Adoration of the Shepherds, Bernardo Cavallino (c. 1650) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Towel End (c 1700s- 1800s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Chrysanthemum and Plum (lid) (late 1800s-early 1900s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Small Mosque in the Kaiserbagh, Felice A. Beato (1858) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Seal of Doge Michele Steno (reverse) (1400–1409) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Shepherd, Paulus Potter (1644) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Coin of Demetrios, I (reverse) (200–190 BCE) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The birth of Rama and his brothers, from Chapter 17 of the Bala Kanda (Book of Childhood) of the Adhyatma Ramayana (Rama's Journey of the Su (c. 1820–30) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0