Build one repair map.
A bounded workflow for documenting visible condition features without replacing professional assessment.
The output is an observation sheet whose source, viewpoint and uncertainty another reader can audit.
Minutes 0—10: identify and locate
Record museum, gallery, object, label, inventory number, whole display and public boundary. A feature cannot be compared responsibly until identity and location are secure.
Minutes 10—20: map the whole
Photograph the complete perimeter, base, mount and available sides. Mark breaks, joins, fills and hidden areas as observations, not diagnoses.
Minutes 20—35: test each line
Change permitted viewpoint to distinguish depth, shadow, reflection and surface marking. Keep original exposures and do not cross barriers or add prohibited light.
Minutes 35—45: make located details
For every detail, make a wider locator frame. Record focus, glass, light, distance and edits. Do not infer feature size from pixels.
Minutes 45—55: collect sources
Photograph the label and find the exact official collection or technical record. Separate museum wording, external scholarship and your observation.
Minutes 55—60: state uncertainty
List inaccessible surfaces, unresolved lines, uncertain intervention categories and uncontrolled variables. Stop short of cause, date and stability claims.
Afterward: draw the repair map
Publish the unmarked source beside an annotated derivative with observed, sourced and unresolved categories. Version every change.
Build a comparison sheet
For dated comparison, preserve both full images and list camera, light, crop, display and processing differences before marking apparent change.
Write a cautious caption
State identity by source, visible feature, location, viewpoint, date, conditions and limits. Use professional conclusions only with citations.
Archive the manifest
Store filenames, creators, object ID, source pages, licences, edits and versions. Test that a detached derivative reconnects to its master.