{"id":"linked-art/api/visual-works","relativePath":"linked-art/api/visual-works.md","title":"Linked Art API: Visual Works","markdown":"# Linked Art API: Visual Works\n\n**Last refreshed:** 2026-07-06\n\nSource: [Visual Works endpoint](https://linked.art/api/1.0/endpoint/visual_work/), 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 Visual Work endpoint describes image content, such as the appearance of paintings and two-dimensional artworks, sculptures and three-dimensional artworks, or digital images. It models visual content as a `VisualItem`, separate from the physical object that shows it and the digital object that digitally shows or represents it.\n\nThis endpoint is related to the Object Aboutness model: visual works can be about entities, represent known entities, or represent instances of types when the individual depicted entity is not separately identified.\n\n## Required Shape\n\nA Visual Work 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 visual work.\n- `type`: `VisualItem`.\n\n## Recommended Fields\n\n- `_label`: developer-facing label.\n- `classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as style or genre.\n- `identified_by`: `Name` and/or `Identifier` structures.\n\n## Optional Fields\n\n- `referred_to_by`: statements about the visual work, such as descriptions.\n- `equivalent`: external identities.\n- `member_of`: set membership.\n- `subject_of`: textual works focused on the visual work.\n- `attributed_by`: relationship assignment evidence.\n- `dimension`: abstract dimensions of the visual work, such as visual height or width.\n- `part_of`: another `VisualItem` or `LinguisticObject` that contains the visual work as a part.\n- `conceptually_part_of`: a `PropositionalObject` that the visual work is conceptually part of.\n- `about`: entities that the visual work is primarily about.\n- `represents`: known entities represented or depicted by the visual work.\n- `represents_instance_of_type`: types represented or depicted when the individual entity is not known.\n- `subject_to`: rights held over the intellectual work.\n- `created_by`: `Creation` event for creation of the image content.\n- `used_for`: publication or similar `Activity`.\n\n## Common Incoming Relationships\n\n- `representation` from any endpoint whose entity is represented by visual content.\n- `shows` from a Physical Object, when a physical object shows the visual content.\n- `digitally_shows` from a Digital Object, when a digital asset or service digitally shows the visual content.\n\n## Meta Museum Notes\n\nMeta Museum already preserves Visual Work semantics through object, digital object, and record fixtures. Existing coverage keeps carrier/content/surrogate boundaries explicit: physical `HumanMadeObject` records can show `VisualItem` content, `DigitalObject` records can digitally show visual content, and object records can carry `representation[]` references without treating image files, depicted content, and physical artworks as the same entity. Future endpoint-specific coverage should keep `about`, `represents`, and `represents_instance_of_type` distinct.\n\n## Test Ideas\n\n- Preserve `VisualItem` role coverage for visual records through `/api/records/{id}` and any dedicated visual-work endpoint.\n- Preserve `about`, `represents`, and `represents_instance_of_type` without collapsing known entities into generic types.\n- Preserve image-content creation as `created_by` `Creation`, with actor and timespan when present.\n- Preserve visual dimensions as `dimension`, separate from physical object measurements.\n- Preserve carrier boundaries: physical objects use `shows`, digital objects use `digitally_shows`, and visual content remains a distinct `VisualItem`.\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-visual-works\">Linked Art API: Visual Works</h1>\n<p><strong>Last refreshed:</strong> 2026-07-06</p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/endpoint/visual_work/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Visual Works 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 Visual Work endpoint describes image content, such as the appearance of paintings and two-dimensional artworks, sculptures and three-dimensional artworks, or digital images. It models visual content as a `VisualItem`, separate from the physical object that shows it and the digital object that digitally shows or represents it.</p>\n<p>This endpoint is related to the Object Aboutness model: visual works can be about entities, represent known entities, or represent instances of types when the individual depicted entity is not separately identified.</p>\n<h2 id=\"required-shape\">Required Shape</h2>\n<p>A Visual Work 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 visual work.</li><li>`type`: `VisualItem`.</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 style or genre.</li><li>`identified_by`: `Name` and/or `Identifier` structures.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"optional-fields\">Optional Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`referred_to_by`: statements about the visual work, such as descriptions.</li><li>`equivalent`: external identities.</li><li>`member_of`: set membership.</li><li>`subject_of`: textual works focused on the visual work.</li><li>`attributed_by`: relationship assignment evidence.</li><li>`dimension`: abstract dimensions of the visual work, such as visual height or width.</li><li>`part_of`: another `VisualItem` or `LinguisticObject` that contains the visual work as a part.</li><li>`conceptually_part_of`: a `PropositionalObject` that the visual work is conceptually part of.</li><li>`about`: entities that the visual work is primarily about.</li><li>`represents`: known entities represented or depicted by the visual work.</li><li>`represents_instance_of_type`: types represented or depicted when the individual entity is not known.</li><li>`subject_to`: rights held over the intellectual work.</li><li>`created_by`: `Creation` event for creation of the image content.</li><li>`used_for`: publication or similar `Activity`.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"common-incoming-relationships\">Common Incoming Relationships</h2>\n<ul><li>`representation` from any endpoint whose entity is represented by visual content.</li><li>`shows` from a Physical Object, when a physical object shows the visual content.</li><li>`digitally_shows` from a Digital Object, when a digital asset or service digitally shows the visual content.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"meta-museum-notes\">Meta Museum Notes</h2>\n<p>Meta Museum already preserves Visual Work semantics through object, digital object, and record fixtures. Existing coverage keeps carrier/content/surrogate boundaries explicit: physical `HumanMadeObject` records can show `VisualItem` content, `DigitalObject` records can digitally show visual content, and object records can carry `representation[]` references without treating image files, depicted content, and physical artworks as the same entity. Future endpoint-specific coverage should keep `about`, `represents`, and `represents_instance_of_type` distinct.</p>\n<h2 id=\"test-ideas\">Test Ideas</h2>\n<ul><li>Preserve `VisualItem` role coverage for visual records through `/api/records/{id}` and any dedicated visual-work endpoint.</li><li>Preserve `about`, `represents`, and `represents_instance_of_type` without collapsing known entities into generic types.</li><li>Preserve image-content creation as `created_by` `Creation`, with actor and timespan when present.</li><li>Preserve visual dimensions as `dimension`, separate from physical object measurements.</li><li>Preserve carrier boundaries: physical objects use `shows`, digital objects use `digitally_shows`, and visual content remains a distinct `VisualItem`.</li></ul>","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z","checksum":"5c7225b0a261e5af11acc185512fb3dd1d73c0f327260440b49292243793bcc9","checksumPrefix":"5c7225b0a261","anchorCount":7,"lineCount":61,"rawUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fvisual-works.md","htmlUrl":"/docs?doc=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fvisual-works.md","apiUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fvisual-works.md"}