Free tool
Free artwork condition report template
A structured condition report for handoffs: outgoing shipments, fair returns, museum loans, and acquisitions. Zone-by-zone grades, observations, and photo references, so condition disputes point at documentation instead of recollection.
What the report covers
A header block identifies the work, the examiner, the date, and the occasion. The body walks the standard zones: surface, edges, corners, verso, frame, glazing, hardware, base for sculpture, and packaging on arrival. Each zone takes a grade, free-text observations, and a photo reference.
The condition reports guide explains grading conventions and when a report is legally worth making.
When to write one
Every custody change: before a work ships, when it arrives, when a fair booth packs down, when a loan returns. The pair of reports on either side of a transit is what makes an insurance claim provable.
Photograph each noted observation and name the file in the photo_reference column. A report without photos is an opinion.
Condition history that stays on the work
A folder of spreadsheets answers "what condition is it in"; it cannot answer "what happened to this work across five years of fairs and loans". In Art.industries, condition reports attach to the work record next to its custody events, so the full history reads in order. See multi-location tracking for how custody events work.
FAQ
- Who should fill the report in?
- Whoever physically examines the work, named in the examined_by field. For high-value loans, both sides examine and both keep a signed copy.
- What grading scale does it use?
- Excellent / good / fair / poor per zone, with observations carrying the detail. Grades without observations are not useful in a dispute.
- How do photos attach?
- Name each photo file and reference it in the photo_reference column. Keep photos and the report in the same folder per examination, or attach both to the work record in Art.industries.
- Is this suitable for museum loans?
- It covers the standard zones lenders expect. Institutions often have their own forms; this template is the gallery- or collector-side record that travels with the work.
- Can condition reports live in the inventory system?
- Yes. Reports attach to the work alongside custody events, so the condition history reads in sequence instead of living in scattered files.
More free tools
Keep condition history on the work
Catalogue 10 works on free Core and attach their condition reports. The next loan request takes minutes instead of a reconstruction project.