Human-reviewed research · bounded before work begins
A review should make uncertainty easier to inspect.
Bring one artwork, a defined question, and the sources you already have. Meta Museum can return a source-led account of what those materials support, where they conflict, and what remains open.
See the shape of the answer before you send a source.
This public catalog example demonstrates the format only. It is not client work and does not add a new attribution or provenance conclusion.
Illustrative format, not a research conclusionReview memo / 01
Portrait of Alvise Contarini(?); (verso) A Tethered Roebuck
Question: what does the current title establish about the sitter's identity?
A Current source wording
The Met title retains “(?)” after the proposed name. That qualifier is part of the current public record and should remain visible.Museum fact · inspect the linked record
B Reviewer observation
The punctuation signals a qualified identification. It does not, by itself, explain the evidence or history behind that proposal.Interpretation of catalog language
C Open evidence gap
A bounded review would ask which cited records support the name and whether earlier catalog states document a change.Research question · not an asserted finding
Two inquiry-level options
Compare the two bounded scopes.
Prices are starting estimates, not checkout offers. Availability, timing, final price, source access, privacy, and rights terms must be agreed in writing first.
01
Evidence review — from USD 195
For one artwork and a focused packet of up to 20 sources you supply.
Best when
You have records but need conflicts, gaps, and next steps made legible.
Return
Source index, supported-event and issue notes, open questions, and a prioritized next-step memo.
Boundary
No new-source investigation beyond the agreed supplied packet.
02
Research sprint — from USD 750
For a separately defined question that requires approved research beyond your packet.
Best when
You need a time-boxed investigation across named, accessible sources.
Only the sources, jurisdictions, languages, and time window accepted in the written scope.
A visible handoff
What happens after an inquiry.
01
Scope before sources
We confirm the artwork, question, supplied material, access limits, deliverable, timing, and estimate.
02
Review with receipts
Every material claim stays attached to the source that supports it; conflicts and missing evidence remain explicit.
03
Return a bounded memo
You receive the agreed files and next steps. No finding is silently published or converted into a public claim.
Decision boundary
What no review can decide.
The service does not authenticate an artwork, determine legal title, provide valuation, clear image rights, promise restitution, or give legal advice. No availability or outcome is promised by an inquiry. Work starts only after both sides accept a written scope.
Prepare a useful first note
Before you inquire.
Identify one artwork and link its current museum, collection, or catalog record.
State the question you want the evidence to answer.
List the sources you can share and any privacy, access, language, or rights constraints.
Note a real deadline, if one exists, without sending confidential files in the first message.
Meta Museum can use Google Analytics page analytics to understand public-site usage. Advertising storage, ad user data, and ad personalization stay denied.
