Cataloguing Portfolios and Multi-part Artworks

Portfolios

Complete portfolios should be fully catalogued to record each item, including any container and front matter.

Extended Cataloguing

Cataloguing procedures for new acquisitions and “back” cataloguing of previously accessioned portfolios. This strategy helps us to better collect information about a complete portfolio as well as to track locations for inventory management.

Overall Record (Portfolio Summary)

This will be a virtual object record not counted in collection statistics, but provides a “portfolio parent” to all parts. The only information catalogued in this record. (Title, Date, Artists). The object number will include the entire span of contents, including the functional components of the portfolio like a container or front matter. It will have no location.

2025.#.1-[last number]

E.G. 2025.21.1-146

Separable Objects

For artworks with multiple component parts, that can be physically separated from each other, create component records under a single object record.

The components are required to track locations of the separate components, for example the left panel of a diptych may be hung on a different rack than the right panel.

Example

• Object Number: 2010.99.a-b

  • Component Number: 2010.99.a (left panel)

  • Component Number: 2010.99.b (right panel)

Inseparable Objects

These procedures outline the cataloguing standards for physically inseparable artworks, like two-sided drawings and bound books, sketchbooks, etc.

Overview: The physical parent/intellectual child relationships allow for more accurate management of objects by simplifying physical inventory and allowing for extended cataloging of unique artworks on a single physical entity. The physical parent record provides the overall information about the description of the whole, the acquisition detail, and the physical location of the object. The intellectual children records allow for more complete cataloguing and description of the multiple artworks, like unique titles, medium descriptions, and sometimes different artists. The child records need to be catalogued to the tombstone level most essentially, so it has information needed for exhibition checklists and captions.

This methodology excludes multi-component objects that are separable like diptychs which are catalogued as component “parts of object.”

Example:

1985.74.a-b, two-sided painting by Marquerite Thompson Zorach and William Zorach

Physical Parent

Object Number: 1985.74.a-b

Primary: Marguerite Thompson Zorach

Primary: William Zorach

Title: Rites of Spring–Olympic Offerins (recto) / Dahlov with Baby Carriage (verso)

Date: 1909–1920

Medium: Oil on canvas (recto) / Oil on canvas (verso)

Dimensions:

Object Type: painting

Object Status: Accessioned Object

Credit Line: Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Michener Acquisitions Fund, 1985.74.a-b

Valuations: Yes

Text Entries: only add entries that refer to the whole object, like acquisition justifications

Work on Paper? True or False

Geography: Yes (in case of multiple artists with varying nationalities, add all)

Keywords: duplicate everything applied to child records

Intellectual Children

Object Number: 1985.74.a (RECTO)

Primary: Marguerite Thompson Zorach

Title: Rites of Spring – Olympic Offerings

Date: 1909

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: (copied from parent record), unique dimensions can be added to child

Object type: painting

Object Status: NULL (will be excluded in filter for accessioned objects)

Credit Line: Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Michener Acquisitions Fund, 1985.74.a

Geography: [Yes]

Keywords: [Yes]

Text Entries: Web Comments, and other entries specific to this specific artwork

Object Number: 1985.74.b (VERSO)

Primary: William Zorach

Title: Dahlov with Baby Carriage

Date: circa 1920

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: (copied from parent object), unique dimensions can be added to child

Object type: painting

Object Status: NULL (will be excluded in filter for accessioned objects)

Credit Line: Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Michener Acquisitions Fund, 1985.74.b

Geography: [Yes]

Keywords: [Yes]

Text Entries: Web Comments, and other entries specific to this specific artwork

Legacy Cataloguing

This convention was established as a stopgap to record initial locations of this material during a storage renovation. These legacy components should be deleted when fully catalogued with the new standards.

One object record for each print in the portfolio (as accessioned).

Containers, cases, folios and front matter record as one “accessory” component under the first record.