Linked Art: Schema.org Mapping

Last refreshed: 2026-07-06

Source: Linked Art to Schema.org mapping notes supplied for project reference. This is a project summary; the upstream mapping notes and Schema.org vocabulary remain authoritative.

Purpose

This mapping describes how Linked Art records can be projected into Schema.org for web-indexing, structured-data, and broad consumer discovery use cases. Linked Art remains the canonical semantic model for Meta Museum; Schema.org should be treated as a derivative public-web projection.

Shared Properties

Common Linked Art fields map across many Schema.org entity types:

• `id` maps to `url`.
• Description Statements map to `description`.
• `classified_as.id` maps to `additionalType`.
• Primary `Name` content maps to `name`; other `Name` content maps to `alternateName`.
• `Identifier` content maps to `identifier`.
• `equivalent.id` maps to `sameAs`.
• Representation image access points map to `image`.
• Subject web pages map to `mainEntityOfPage`.

People And Organizations

Linked Art `Person` records project to Schema.org `Person`:

• Birth and death timespans map to `birthDate` and `deathDate`.
• Birth and death places map to `birthPlace` and `deathPlace`.
• Email contact points map to `email`.
• Gender, occupation, and nationality classifications map to `gender`, `hasOccupation`, and `nationality`.
• Residence maps to `homeLocation`.
• Group membership maps to `memberOf`.

Linked Art `Group` records project to Schema.org `Organization`:

• Email and address contact points map to `email` and `address`.
• Formation and dissolution dates map to `foundingDate` and `dissolutionDate`.
• Formation place maps to `foundingLocation`.
• Formation actors map to `founder`.
• Residence maps to `location`.
• Membership maps to `memberOf`; hierarchical membership can map to `parentOrganization`.

Places And Concepts

Linked Art `Place` records project to Schema.org `Place`:

• `part_of.id` maps to `containedInPlace`.
• `defined_by` geometry maps to `geo`, or to `latitude`/`longitude` when the value is a point.
• If a representation is specifically a map, use `hasMap` rather than generic `image`.

Linked Art concept records project to Schema.org `DefinedTerm` and `CreativeWork`; language concepts also carry the `Language` additional type:

• `broader` maps to `isPartOf`.
• `member_of` maps to `inDefinedTermSet`.

Human-Made Objects

Linked Art `HumanMadeObject` records project to Schema.org `VisualArtwork` or `ArchiveComponent` depending on object type:

• Object classification maps to `artform`.
• Description Statements map to `abstract` for human-made objects.
• Rights, access, credit, and material Statements map to `copyrightNotice`, `conditionsOfAccess`, `creditText`, and `artMedium`.
• Production actors map to `creator` or `artist`; contributor-classified production parts map to `contributor`.
• Production country maps to `countryOfOrigin`; production timespan maps to `dateCreated`; production place maps to `locationCreated`.
• Part hierarchy maps to `isPartOf`.
• Shown or carried content maps to `exampleOfWork`.
• Materials map to `material`.
• Text content maps to `text`.
• Height, width, and depth dimensions map to `height`, `width`, and `depth`.
• Current owner maps to `holdingArchive`; current location maps to `itemLocation`.

Digital Objects

Linked Art `DigitalObject` records project to Schema.org `CreativeWork` and `DataSet`:

• Digitally shown or carried content maps to `exampleOfWork`.
• Height, width, and depth dimensions map to `height`, `width`, and `depth`; other dimensions can map to `size`.
• Part hierarchy maps to `isPartOf`.
• Format maps to `encodingFormat`.
• Access points map to `distribution`.
• Creation actors map to `creator`.
• Publishing activity actors map to `publisher`.

Visual And Textual Works

Linked Art `VisualItem` and `LinguisticObject` records project to Schema.org `CreativeWork`:

• `about` maps to `about`.
• Represented places map to `contentLocation`.
• Other represented entities map to `mainEntity`.
• Language maps to `inLanguage`.
• Genre classifications map to `genre`.
• Creation actors map to `author`, `artist`, or `creator` depending on work type and role.
• Publishing activity actors map to `publisher`.
• Content maps to `text`.
• Dimensions map to `size`.
• Format maps to `encodingFormat`.

Events And Sets

Linked Art `Event` records project to Schema.org `Event`, with exhibitions projecting to `ExhibitionEvent` where appropriate:

• Responsible actors map to `organizer`, `performer`, or `contributor`.
• Places map to `location`.
• Event hierarchy maps to `superEvent`.
• Timespan bounds map to `startDate` and `endDate`.
• Used specific objects map to `workFeatured`.
• Influences can map to `about` when the relationship is suitable for broad web discovery.

Linked Art `Set` records project to Schema.org `ArchiveComponent` for archives or `Collection` for other sets:

• `member_of` maps to `isPartOf`.
• Creation actors map to `author`, `artist`, or `creator`.
• Publishing activity actors map to `publisher`.
• `about` maps to `about`.
• Dimensions map to `size`.

Meta Museum Notes

Meta Museum should generate Schema.org from canonical Linked Art records, not maintain it as a second source of truth. The projection is useful for search engines, simple external clients, and evaluator-facing web-readability checks, but it is intentionally less precise than Linked Art.

Use `sameAs` from `equivalent` carefully: it is suitable for broad web structured data, but Linked Art reconciliation still keeps `equivalent` semantics separate from a hard identity-collapse model.

Test Ideas

• Derive Schema.org JSON-LD from Linked Art records at render/export time rather than storing duplicate assertions.
• Preserve Schema.org `sameAs` projection from Linked Art `equivalent` without weakening internal reconciliation semantics.
• Map object dimensions, image access points, names, identifiers, and descriptions from structured Linked Art fields.
• Keep human-made object, digital object, visual/textual work, event, set, person/group, place, and concept projections type-specific.
• Verify Schema.org output does not replace or mutate canonical Linked Art JSON-LD.