{"id":"linked-art/api/physical-objects","relativePath":"linked-art/api/physical-objects.md","title":"Linked Art API: Physical Objects","markdown":"# Linked Art API: Physical Objects\n\n**Last refreshed:** 2026-07-06\n\nSource: [Physical Objects endpoint](https://linked.art/api/1.0/endpoint/physical_object/), part of Linked Art API 1.0, published under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is a project summary; the upstream page is authoritative.\n\n## Purpose\n\nThe Physical Object endpoint describes tangible human-made things such as paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, buildings, object parts, and other physical carriers of artwork content. This is a core Linked Art endpoint and often has the richest record shape.\n\n## Required Shape\n\nA Physical Object endpoint record dereferences to one JSON-LD object:\n\n- `@context`: Linked Art context URI, or an array ending with that URI for extensions.\n- `id`: dereferenceable HTTP(S) URI for the object.\n- `type`: `HumanMadeObject`.\n\n## Recommended Fields\n\n- `_label`: developer-facing label.\n- `classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as painting, artwork, manuscript, or collection item.\n- `identified_by`: `Name` and/or `Identifier` structures, including titles and accession numbers.\n\n## Optional Descriptive Fields\n\n- `referred_to_by`: statements about the object.\n- `equivalent`: external identities.\n- `representation`: visual works representing the object.\n- `member_of`: sets that include the object.\n- `subject_of`: textual works focused on the object.\n- `attributed_by`: relationship assignment evidence.\n- `part_of`: larger physical object of which this object is a part.\n- `dimension`: dimensions such as height, width, depth, or weight.\n- `made_of`: materials, modeled as `Material`.\n\n## Optional Ownership, Custody, And Location Fields\n\n- `current_owner`: current person or group owner.\n- `current_custodian`: current person or group custodian.\n- `current_permanent_custodian`: normal custodian when current custody may differ.\n- `current_location`: current `Place`.\n- `current_permanent_location`: normal `Place` when current location may differ.\n- `held_or_supported_by`: physical object that holds, contains, or supports the current object.\n\n## Optional Content And Activity Fields\n\n- `carries`: textual works carried by the object.\n- `shows`: visual works shown by the object.\n- `used_for`: activity in which the object was instrumental but where the activity does not have its own identity.\n- `produced_by`: `Production` event for the object.\n- `destroyed_by`: `Destruction` event for the object.\n- `removed_by`: `PartRemoval` activity for removing the object from a larger object.\n- `modified_by`: `Modification` activity, such as conservation treatment.\n- `encountered_by`: `Encounter` activity, such as discovery.\n- `changed_ownership_through`: `Acquisition` provenance activity.\n\n## Acquisition Additions\n\n`changed_ownership_through` uses `Acquisition` activity fields plus:\n\n- `transferred_title_from`: previous person or group owner(s).\n- `transferred_title_to`: new person or group owner(s).\n\n## Common Incoming Relationships\n\n- `used_specific_object` from activities that used a specific physical object.\n- `influenced_by` from activities influenced by the object.\n- `transferred_title_of` from provenance activities.\n- `transferred_custody_of` from provenance activities.\n- `moved` from movement activities.\n- `applies_to` from rights activities.\n- `carried_by` from textual works.\n- `shown_by` from visual works.\n\n## Meta Museum Notes\n\nMeta Museum exposes physical objects through `/api/objects/{id}` and preserves full object records through `/api/records/{id}`. Current coverage includes `HumanMadeObject`, titles and identifiers, vocabulary classifications, descriptions, dimensions with `MeasurementUnit`, materials, current owner/custodian/location, physical containment, `carries`, `shows`, production, destruction, modification, part removal, encounter, acquisition, custody transfer, movement, rights, object-level `equivalent[]`, and dataset export pagination/reuse packaging. Activity-stream coverage projects object lifecycle and provenance events without treating semantic `Destruction` as an ActivityStreams tombstone `Delete`.\n\n## Test Ideas\n\n- Keep `/api/objects/{id}` role coverage aligned with `HumanMadeObject`.\n- Preserve an object fixture with multilingual names, accession number, dimensions, materials, ownership, location, `shows`, `carries`, and `produced_by`.\n- Preserve lifecycle and provenance fields: `destroyed_by`, `removed_by`, `modified_by`, `encountered_by`, and `changed_ownership_through`.\n- Verify `current_location` is a `Place` and current owner/custodian values are `Person` or `Group`.\n- Keep `Destruction`/`Dissolution` as semantic record events, with ActivityStreams `Delete` reserved for real upstream tombstones.\n","sections":[{"level":2,"heading":"Purpose","anchor":"purpose"},{"level":2,"heading":"Required Shape","anchor":"required-shape"},{"level":2,"heading":"Recommended Fields","anchor":"recommended-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Optional Descriptive Fields","anchor":"optional-descriptive-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Optional Ownership, Custody, And Location Fields","anchor":"optional-ownership-custody-and-location-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Optional Content And Activity Fields","anchor":"optional-content-and-activity-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Acquisition Additions","anchor":"acquisition-additions"},{"level":2,"heading":"Common Incoming Relationships","anchor":"common-incoming-relationships"},{"level":2,"heading":"Meta Museum Notes","anchor":"meta-museum-notes"},{"level":2,"heading":"Test Ideas","anchor":"test-ideas"}],"html":"<h1 id=\"linked-art-api-physical-objects\">Linked Art API: Physical Objects</h1>\n<p><strong>Last refreshed:</strong> 2026-07-06</p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/endpoint/physical_object/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Physical Objects endpoint</a>, part of Linked Art API 1.0, published under <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">CC BY 4.0</a>. This is a project summary; the upstream page is authoritative.</p>\n<h2 id=\"purpose\">Purpose</h2>\n<p>The Physical Object endpoint describes tangible human-made things such as paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, buildings, object parts, and other physical carriers of artwork content. This is a core Linked Art endpoint and often has the richest record shape.</p>\n<h2 id=\"required-shape\">Required Shape</h2>\n<p>A Physical Object endpoint record dereferences to one JSON-LD object:</p>\n<ul><li>`@context`: Linked Art context URI, or an array ending with that URI for extensions.</li><li>`id`: dereferenceable HTTP(S) URI for the object.</li><li>`type`: `HumanMadeObject`.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"recommended-fields\">Recommended Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`_label`: developer-facing label.</li><li>`classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as painting, artwork, manuscript, or collection item.</li><li>`identified_by`: `Name` and/or `Identifier` structures, including titles and accession numbers.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"optional-descriptive-fields\">Optional Descriptive Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`referred_to_by`: statements about the object.</li><li>`equivalent`: external identities.</li><li>`representation`: visual works representing the object.</li><li>`member_of`: sets that include the object.</li><li>`subject_of`: textual works focused on the object.</li><li>`attributed_by`: relationship assignment evidence.</li><li>`part_of`: larger physical object of which this object is a part.</li><li>`dimension`: dimensions such as height, width, depth, or weight.</li><li>`made_of`: materials, modeled as `Material`.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"optional-ownership-custody-and-location-fields\">Optional Ownership, Custody, And Location Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`current_owner`: current person or group owner.</li><li>`current_custodian`: current person or group custodian.</li><li>`current_permanent_custodian`: normal custodian when current custody may differ.</li><li>`current_location`: current `Place`.</li><li>`current_permanent_location`: normal `Place` when current location may differ.</li><li>`held_or_supported_by`: physical object that holds, contains, or supports the current object.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"optional-content-and-activity-fields\">Optional Content And Activity Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`carries`: textual works carried by the object.</li><li>`shows`: visual works shown by the object.</li><li>`used_for`: activity in which the object was instrumental but where the activity does not have its own identity.</li><li>`produced_by`: `Production` event for the object.</li><li>`destroyed_by`: `Destruction` event for the object.</li><li>`removed_by`: `PartRemoval` activity for removing the object from a larger object.</li><li>`modified_by`: `Modification` activity, such as conservation treatment.</li><li>`encountered_by`: `Encounter` activity, such as discovery.</li><li>`changed_ownership_through`: `Acquisition` provenance activity.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"acquisition-additions\">Acquisition Additions</h2>\n<p>`changed_ownership_through` uses `Acquisition` activity fields plus:</p>\n<ul><li>`transferred_title_from`: previous person or group owner(s).</li><li>`transferred_title_to`: new person or group owner(s).</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"common-incoming-relationships\">Common Incoming Relationships</h2>\n<ul><li>`used_specific_object` from activities that used a specific physical object.</li><li>`influenced_by` from activities influenced by the object.</li><li>`transferred_title_of` from provenance activities.</li><li>`transferred_custody_of` from provenance activities.</li><li>`moved` from movement activities.</li><li>`applies_to` from rights activities.</li><li>`carried_by` from textual works.</li><li>`shown_by` from visual works.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"meta-museum-notes\">Meta Museum Notes</h2>\n<p>Meta Museum exposes physical objects through `/api/objects/{id}` and preserves full object records through `/api/records/{id}`. Current coverage includes `HumanMadeObject`, titles and identifiers, vocabulary classifications, descriptions, dimensions with `MeasurementUnit`, materials, current owner/custodian/location, physical containment, `carries`, `shows`, production, destruction, modification, part removal, encounter, acquisition, custody transfer, movement, rights, object-level `equivalent[]`, and dataset export pagination/reuse packaging. Activity-stream coverage projects object lifecycle and provenance events without treating semantic `Destruction` as an ActivityStreams tombstone `Delete`.</p>\n<h2 id=\"test-ideas\">Test Ideas</h2>\n<ul><li>Keep `/api/objects/{id}` role coverage aligned with `HumanMadeObject`.</li><li>Preserve an object fixture with multilingual names, accession number, dimensions, materials, ownership, location, `shows`, `carries`, and `produced_by`.</li><li>Preserve lifecycle and provenance fields: `destroyed_by`, `removed_by`, `modified_by`, `encountered_by`, and `changed_ownership_through`.</li><li>Verify `current_location` is a `Place` and current owner/custodian values are `Person` or `Group`.</li><li>Keep `Destruction`/`Dissolution` as semantic record events, with ActivityStreams `Delete` reserved for real upstream tombstones.</li></ul>","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z","checksum":"b947ded689e6af1768891394bc72f50df5b0f8df1e499d1829e0dc8ac8ec7564","checksumPrefix":"b947ded689e6","anchorCount":10,"lineCount":87,"rawUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fphysical-objects.md","htmlUrl":"/docs?doc=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fphysical-objects.md","apiUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fphysical-objects.md"}