Linked Art: CDWA Mapping

Last refreshed: 2026-07-06

Source: Linked Art CDWA mapping notes supplied for project reference. This is a project summary; the Getty CDWA guidance and upstream Linked Art mapping notes remain authoritative.

Purpose

Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA) is a Getty cataloging framework for art and architecture. The Linked Art CDWA mapping explains how CDWA fields translate into Linked Art records, properties, embedded structures, activities, authority records, and explicit non-mappings.

For Meta Museum, this page is a high-value crosswalk: it helps importer, mapper, evaluator, and data-cleaning work explain how traditional cataloging fields become Linked Art JSON-LD without flattening object, activity, authority, provenance, textual, visual, and rights semantics.

Recurring Patterns

Several CDWA field families repeat throughout the mapping:

• Remarks and descriptions generally become `referred_to_by` `LinguisticObject`/Statement structures.
• Citations become either `about` relationships from a citing `LinguisticObject` or citation Statements on the described entity.
• Earliest and latest date fields map to `TimeSpan.begin_of_the_begin` and `TimeSpan.end_of_the_end`.
• Names, titles, labels, and authority terms usually map to `identified_by` with `Name` or `Identifier` structures.
• Preference, display, type, role, and qualifier flags usually map to `classified_as` on the relevant structure when Linked Art can express them honestly.
• Source-specific cataloging metadata and other meta-meta-data is often not mapped into Linked Art description records.
• Phase-like temporal states are often marked not mapped unless modeled through a specific activity or assignment pattern.

Object And Description Fields

Core object/work fields map to the object record:

• Object/work type and classification terms map to `classified_as`.
• Component/part hierarchy maps from the component to the parent with `part_of`; component quantity can be a `Dimension`.
• Titles map to `identified_by[type=Name]/content`, with title type, preference, and language on the `Name`; title date can be expressed through an `assigned_by` `AttributeAssignment`.
• Creation maps to `produced_by`, including creator actors in `carried_out_by`, creation dates in `timespan`, original location in `took_place_at`, and creator statements in `referred_to_by`.
• Object/work culture, style, period, group, movement, shape, physical-description indexing, and similar controlled classifications generally map to `classified_as`.
• Dimensions map to `dimension`, with `classified_as`, `value`, `unit`, `assigned_by`, `timespan`, and assignment classification where needed.
• Materials and techniques map to `made_of`, `technique`, part records, or Statements depending on whether the source describes material, technique, extent, role, or free text.
• Watermarks, facture, orientation, physical appearance, descriptive notes, provenance notes, credit lines, and copyright statements usually map to `referred_to_by` Statements.

Activity And Event Fields

CDWA activity-like fields map to Linked Art activities when the source has enough semantic detail:

• Conservation/treatment maps to `modified_by` `Modification`, with treatment type in `classified_as`, actor in `carried_out_by`, date in `timespan`, and place in `took_place_at`.
• Condition/examination history maps to `attributed_by` `AttributeAssignment`, with examination type, actor, date, and place on the assignment.
• Archaeological discovery/excavation maps to `encountered_by` `Encounter`, with discovery place in `took_place_at`, excavator in `carried_out_by`, and date in `timespan`.
• Historical/cultural context can become a `Period`, `Event`, or `Activity`, with type, name/identifier, date, place, actors, and participants modeled directly.
• Exhibition and loan history maps to exhibition `Activity` records, with title/name in `identified_by`, type in `classified_as`, organizer/curator in activity responsibility or abstract-work creation, venue in `took_place_at`, and exhibition object numbers as `AttributeAssignment` caused by the exhibition.
• Payments, valuation, acquisition, and ownership transfer evidence map through provenance activities, `Payment`, `MonetaryAmount`, `Acquisition`, and current or historical owner relationships where the source is specific enough.

Content, Subject, Visual, And Textual Fields

Carrier/content distinctions matter in the CDWA mapping:

• Subject display notes map to Statements; general and specific subject terms map to `about`, `classified_as`, or `represents` depending on whether the target is conceptual, classificatory, or depicted.
• Inscriptions may remain Statements, but authored inscription content should become a separate `LinguisticObject` carried by the object, with its own `created_by`, `language`, and `timespan`.
• Critical responses and textual references become `LinguisticObject` records with `about`, `identified_by`, `created_by`, publication `used_for`, and citation Statements.
• Related visual documentation maps through `representation` to a `VisualItem`, then `digitally_carried_by` to a `DigitalObject`; image maker, date, format, dimensions, depicted works, view descriptions, rights, and repository relationships stay on the appropriate visual, digital, or physical record.

Authority Fields

CDWA authority records map to Linked Art entity records:

• Person/corporate body authority records map to `Person` or `Group`, with names in `identified_by`, biography in `referred_to_by`, birth/death in `born`/`died`, nationality/culture/gender/life roles in `classified_as` or professional activities, events in `carried_out_by`/`participated_in`, relationships in `AttributeAssignment`, and broader context in `member_of`.
• Place/location authority records map to `Place`, with names in `identified_by`, coordinates in `defined_by`, place types in `classified_as`, related-place assignments in `AttributeAssignment`, and broader place hierarchy in `part_of`.
• Generic concept authority records map to concept records, with terms in `identified_by`, term type/preference/display flags in `classified_as`, scope notes in `referred_to_by`, related concepts in `AttributeAssignment`, and broader context in `broader`.
• Subject authority follows the same pattern as generic concept authority; Linked Art does not require a hard distinction between generic concepts and subjects.

Explicit Non-Mappings And Cautions

The CDWA mapping is careful about what Linked Art should not claim:

• Catalog level and cataloging history are meta-meta-data and are generally not mapped.
• Phase-like facts, such as object/work type date, known states, name dates, ownership dates, broader-context dates, and some historical-location contexts, are not mapped unless a specific activity or assignment is modeled.
• Some CDWA fields need entities Linked Art does not currently model directly, such as an `Edition` entity, performance-art action support, or a watermark `Feature`.
• Some source-place, sponsorship, architectural-context, image-source, and contextual cost/value details are not directly mappable without extra modeling decisions.
• Preference on a referenced classification or broader context is often not mapped because it would require reifying the reference.

Meta Museum Notes

This crosswalk reinforces decisions Meta Museum already makes: preserve Statements instead of flattening descriptions, keep names and identifiers structured, model creation/provenance/conservation/exhibition as activities, keep visual content separate from digital carriers, use `AttributeAssignment` when a relationship needs evidence, and avoid inventing Linked Art claims for CDWA fields that are meta-metadata, Phase-like, or unsupported.

Use this note when designing mapper templates, provider normalization rules, evaluator-facing provenance explanations, and import QA checks for cataloging systems whose source shape resembles CDWA.

Test Ideas

• Keep CDWA-style title, name, identifier, and classification mappings structured instead of display-only.
• Verify conservation, condition examination, encounter, provenance, and exhibition fields produce activity or assignment structures when supported.
• Preserve image carrier/content separation for visual documentation.
• Treat explicit non-mappings as validation warnings or mapper review notes rather than invented Linked Art fields.
• Ensure authority records for people/groups, places, and concepts preserve their own Linked Art entity classes.