A citation is not
a certificate.
Practical safeguards when a seller borrows a historical photograph, a scholarly comparison or this website’s name.
Recognise what a citation really means.
A link to a museum, a university or City of Dawn may be useful background reading. It does not establish that the item being sold is the same object, came from the same workshop, or was made in the same century. Compare the exact object, not only a similar silhouette or a copied description.
Six checks before relying on a listing.
Identify the actual object.
Request photographs of its front, back, sides, underside, scale and distinguishing damage. Compare the actual piece, not promotional stock photographs.
Match any certificate to the object.
Ask who issued it, when, for what exact object and what the assessment covers. An image of a certificate can be copied or altered; check with its issuer using independently obtained contact details.
Separate rights from authenticity.
Permission to photograph or publish an artefact does not prove its antiquity. A licensed museum photograph cannot authenticate a lookalike for sale.
Record provenance and terms.
Request earlier ownership documents, invoices, measurements, independent opinions and written return conditions. Mark uncertain claims as uncertain.
Check impersonation claims.
Be cautious if a seller displays our logo, article, screenshot or domain as a claim of approval. We do not issue approval badges or sales certificates.
Avoid rushed irreversible payments.
Do not rely solely on scarcity claims, testimonials or pressure. Seek independent professional advice where its purported antiquity matters.
Document concerns without making public accusations.
Preserve the original listing URL, date, seller claim, screenshots and any relevant object-specific evidence. ICOM’s Object ID standard provides a practical basis for recording distinguishing features, measurements and photographs.[11] CIDOC guidance recommends photographing identifying features and marks to assist documentation.[13]
Submit suspected misrepresentation through the relevant marketplace’s official reporting system. If the problem is a statement published on this site, see Reports and corrections. Our current form prepares a private local report but does not transmit it.
Please do not post allegations of criminality here. A disputed attribution is not, by itself, proof of fraud.
Preserve a suspected endorsement misuse privately.
When a listing suggests City of Dawn endorses a seller or certifies an object, document the exact representation before requesting removal. Keep a dated copy of the page or message, the URL, the exact words and the surrounding context. Do not contact or accuse a person publicly based only on an unverified screenshot.
Our private incident-record template separates what you personally observed from what the seller claims, records whether the linked page actually names the item, and leaves room for a platform report reference. The file stays on your device; City of Dawn does not receive it.
Use collection photographs in context.
Every museum comparison on this website retains its actual collection attribution, object number and image-rights statement. Neither the museum’s publication nor our citation transfers an authentication finding to another object.
Photographs of historical objects are documentary evidence only when tied to the correct catalogue record. AI illustrations, if introduced in future, will remain clearly labelled and excluded from authentication examples.
To inspect the two currently documented comparisons, see the study gallery and its object records. For an exact-object documentation procedure, see Evidence and attribution.
Documentation standards for careful study.
- Object IDInternational Council of Museums · Documentation standard
- Recommendations for Identity PhotographsICOM CIDOC · Fact Sheet 3