{"id":"linked-art/api/shared-statements","relativePath":"linked-art/api/shared-statements.md","title":"Linked Art API: Shared Statements","markdown":"# Linked Art API: Shared Statements\n\n**Last refreshed:** 2026-07-06\n\nSource: [Statements shared structure](https://linked.art/api/1.0/shared/statement/), 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\nStatements are embedded human-readable descriptions or notes about the entity being described. They are useful for end-user display even when structured data exists for the same subject.\n\nStatements are represented as `LinguisticObject` structures embedded within the resource, usually through `referred_to_by`, rather than as separate long-form textual records.\n\n## Required Shape\n\nA statement structure includes:\n\n- `type`: required. Must be `LinguisticObject`.\n- `content`: required string value of the statement.\n- `id`: optional URI identifying the statement.\n- `_complete`: optional completeness signal. If an `id` URI has richer dereferenceable information, `_complete: false` must be present.\n\n## Recommended Fields\n\n- `classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as description, note, or brief text.\n- `language`: languages present in the statement content, following the `Language` concept reference pattern.\n- `identified_by`: labels or names for the statement, following the `Name` pattern.\n\n## Optional Fields\n\n- `_label`: developer-facing label.\n- `referred_to_by`: references to textual works about this statement, or embedded statements about this statement.\n- `format`: media type when `content` is not plain text.\n- `assigned_by`: statement assignment evidence following the `AttributeAssignment` pattern.\n- `subject_to`: rights held over the statement.\n- `created_by`: `Creation` event for the statement.\n\n## Common Incoming Relationships\n\n- `referred_to_by`: used by all endpoint records for statements about the described entity.\n\n## Meta Museum Notes\n\nMeta Museum already preserves `LinguisticObject` statement structures across object, concept, activity, rights, and dataset projections. Existing coverage includes descriptions, notes, abstracts, statement-level rights, AI-generated statement creation metadata, and provenance/citation notes. The important project rule is to keep statements as structured Linked Art `LinguisticObject` entries rather than flattening them into anonymous prose strings.\n\n## Test Ideas\n\n- Preserve `LinguisticObject.content`, `classified_as`, `language`, and `identified_by` on statements.\n- Preserve nested `referred_to_by` statements about statements.\n- Preserve `format` when statement content is not plain text.\n- Preserve `subject_to` rights on statements.\n- Preserve `created_by` `Creation` evidence, including AI/tool technique metadata when supplied.\n- Add a dereferenceable statement `id` with richer detail available and verify `_complete: false`.\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 Fields","anchor":"optional-fields"},{"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-shared-statements\">Linked Art API: Shared Statements</h1>\n<p><strong>Last refreshed:</strong> 2026-07-06</p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/shared/statement/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Statements shared structure</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>Statements are embedded human-readable descriptions or notes about the entity being described. They are useful for end-user display even when structured data exists for the same subject.</p>\n<p>Statements are represented as `LinguisticObject` structures embedded within the resource, usually through `referred_to_by`, rather than as separate long-form textual records.</p>\n<h2 id=\"required-shape\">Required Shape</h2>\n<p>A statement structure includes:</p>\n<ul><li>`type`: required. Must be `LinguisticObject`.</li><li>`content`: required string value of the statement.</li><li>`id`: optional URI identifying the statement.</li><li>`_complete`: optional completeness signal. If an `id` URI has richer dereferenceable information, `_complete: false` must be present.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"recommended-fields\">Recommended Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as description, note, or brief text.</li><li>`language`: languages present in the statement content, following the `Language` concept reference pattern.</li><li>`identified_by`: labels or names for the statement, following the `Name` pattern.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"optional-fields\">Optional Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`_label`: developer-facing label.</li><li>`referred_to_by`: references to textual works about this statement, or embedded statements about this statement.</li><li>`format`: media type when `content` is not plain text.</li><li>`assigned_by`: statement assignment evidence following the `AttributeAssignment` pattern.</li><li>`subject_to`: rights held over the statement.</li><li>`created_by`: `Creation` event for the statement.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"common-incoming-relationships\">Common Incoming Relationships</h2>\n<ul><li>`referred_to_by`: used by all endpoint records for statements about the described entity.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"meta-museum-notes\">Meta Museum Notes</h2>\n<p>Meta Museum already preserves `LinguisticObject` statement structures across object, concept, activity, rights, and dataset projections. Existing coverage includes descriptions, notes, abstracts, statement-level rights, AI-generated statement creation metadata, and provenance/citation notes. The important project rule is to keep statements as structured Linked Art `LinguisticObject` entries rather than flattening them into anonymous prose strings.</p>\n<h2 id=\"test-ideas\">Test Ideas</h2>\n<ul><li>Preserve `LinguisticObject.content`, `classified_as`, `language`, and `identified_by` on statements.</li><li>Preserve nested `referred_to_by` statements about statements.</li><li>Preserve `format` when statement content is not plain text.</li><li>Preserve `subject_to` rights on statements.</li><li>Preserve `created_by` `Creation` evidence, including AI/tool technique metadata when supplied.</li><li>Add a dereferenceable statement `id` with richer detail available and verify `_complete: false`.</li></ul>","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z","checksum":"f268899877792edcedf531da01f3453df7ab446598d4d908b867a1d8f4ebfeb5","checksumPrefix":"f26889987779","anchorCount":7,"lineCount":53,"rawUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fshared-statements.md","htmlUrl":"/docs?doc=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fshared-statements.md","apiUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fshared-statements.md"}