Artwork spec sheet: the one-page technical data sheet for a painting, with a filled example
An artwork spec sheet is a one-page record of a single painting: title, artist, year, medium, dimensions with each axis labelled, orientation, edition status, a unique ID, price and the documents that travel with it. The filled example below uses Silent Interval (2026), 120 x 160 cm, with its Archive ID.
What fits on one page: the fields
Silent Interval is a useful test of a spec sheet, because its surface does things a title line cannot carry. A single dark line descends through a field of warm bone-white, scatters into fine droplets and settles into one weighted pool, over a ground that is textured, worked and scored; a block of blue anchors the lower edge. The sheet has to say what the object is made of and how big it is, and leave the interpretation to the work's page.
A sheet of this kind has two blocks. The identity block follows the nine categories of the Object ID standard, which ICOM describes as conceived to identify and record cultural goods: type of object, materials and techniques, measurement, inscriptions and markings, distinguishing features, title, subject, date or period, and maker. For a painting this reduces to title, artist, year, medium, dimensions, signature and any distinguishing feature.
The project block adds what a designer, consultant or registrar needs to act: orientation, edition status, a unique ID, price, which documents accompany the work, and installation information. The example below fills both blocks for one work, using only data in the studio's own record.
A filled example: Silent Interval
Every entry below comes from the studio's record for the work. This page is a worked example of the fields, not a downloadable file.
| Field | Entry for Silent Interval |
|---|---|
| Title | Silent Interval |
| Artist | Alyne Perfeito |
| Series | Matter & Silence |
| Year | 2026 |
| Medium | Mixed media with acrylic on canvas |
| Dimensions | Width 120 cm × height 160 cm (47.2 × 63 in) |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Signature | Signed by the artist |
| Edition | Unique original artwork |
| Archive ID | AP-MAS-2026-003 |
| Price | R$ 7,900 (Brazilian real, set by the studio) |
| Certificate | Signed Certificate of Authenticity, with a QR code linking to the work's official page |
| Frame, weight, hanging hardware | Not stated in the work's record; ask the studio what it can provide for this work |
The last row is deliberate. A sheet should show an unknown as unknown rather than fill it with an estimate: the record for this work does not publish a frame, a weight or a hanging system, so the entry says to ask. The work's page at Silent Interval carries the same fields under its technical details.
Medium, dimensions and orientation: the three lines that cause ambiguity
Medium. Write it as the artist declares it, not as it looks in a photograph. Silent Interval is mixed media with acrylic on canvas. Quartz Seam (2026) is declared as mixed media with acrylic and imitation gold leaf (metallic leaf) on canvas, so a spec sheet must carry the words imitation and metallic leaf, not gold. The studio states that the metallic leaf on its works is sealed with a spray sealant.
Dimensions. The Getty's Categories for the Description of Works of Art says two-dimensional works are usually measured height by width, that the orientation is implied by that order, that metric and US customary units should both be given where possible, and that overall measurements must be told apart from those of the primary support or image. Perfeito Studio lists width first: Silent Interval is 120 x 160 cm, meaning 120 cm wide and 160 cm high. The record's orientation field (vertical) confirms the reading, and the example above spells out both axes so no one has to guess.
The same care applies to a horizontal work. Amber Strata (2026) is listed as 150 x 100 cm (59.1 x 39.4 in): 150 cm wide, 100 cm high. For the framed works on paper in the Water & Bloom series the record states that the dimensions include the frame; Petal Current, at 73 x 73 cm, is one of them (Petal Current).
Hanging height and lighting: what goes on the sheet and what goes on the drawing
Hanging height and lighting depend on the room, so they are project decisions that belong on the architect's drawings, with the artist's sheet supplying the data they rest on: the work's width and height and its orientation. On its architects page the studio says that hanging height, lighting angle and conservation guidance are coordinated with the project team, and its acquisition process lists installation guidance, including ideal hanging height and lighting, as available on request.
Weight and hanging hardware are not published in the studio's records for any work, so a specification should not assume them. Ask the studio what it can provide for the specific work, and record the answer on the sheet. For the wider package an architect submits, see what an art specification package includes, and for the questions to settle before specifying, what an architect should ask before specifying original art.
For those acquiring: documents and shipping
Documents. Every acquisition is direct from the artist and includes the original, unique painting; a signed Certificate of Authenticity carrying the full technical record and the Archive ID; a fiscal invoice or official receipt; an Artwork Acquisition Agreement covering transfer of ownership, copyright and image use; an artist dossier with biography, series context and technical record; care guidance; and professional packaging. The studio's certificate page lists what the certificate contains: title, series, year of completion, medium and materials, dimensions, a studio image of the work, the Archive ID, the artist's signature and date, studio identification, care guidance and a QR code linking to the official work page.
Requesting the sheet. Each work's page has a request for the artist dossier and a request for additional images. In the acquisition process, once the studio confirms availability it shares the documentation, including a technical sheet and scale references. For a buyer outside Brasília, additional detail photographs and video of a specific work are available on request through WhatsApp.
Shipping. The studio ships within Brazil and internationally. Shipping is quoted per destination and paid by the buyer, as are any import duties or taxes in the destination country; professional packaging is included and transit insurance is available. Domestic delivery takes up to 15 business days depending on destination, and international shipping is quoted on request. See shipping.
From the studio
The view from the studio
I trained as an architect, and I read a data sheet the way I read a drawing schedule: each line should be answerable by one person, without a phone call. For Silent Interval that means the width and the height written out, the medium as declared, and the Archive ID that ties the sheet to the certificate and to the work's page.
Every painting in the studio is unique, signed, catalogued under an internal Archive ID and photographed in detail before it leaves. Silent Interval is a single continuous gesture on a scored ground, and its measurements, 120 x 160 cm, are what let a project team decide on which wall it can stand. The sheet records the object; the work itself is the part that cannot be put on one page.
Frequently asked
What fields belong on an artwork spec sheet?
Two blocks. The identity block follows the nine Object ID categories listed by ICOM: type of object, materials and techniques, measurement, inscriptions and markings, distinguishing features, title, subject, date or period, and maker. The project block adds orientation, edition status, a unique ID, price, the documents that accompany the work, and installation information such as hanging height and lighting.
How is the medium of a mixed-media painting written for a specification?
Literally, as the artist declares it, never inferred from a photograph. Quartz Seam is declared as mixed media with acrylic and imitation gold leaf (metallic leaf) on canvas, and the sheet keeps those words. The studio states that the metallic leaf on its works is sealed with a spray sealant. Object ID groups this information under materials and techniques.
Should the spec sheet include hanging height and lighting?
Both depend on the room, so they usually sit on the architect's drawings, with the sheet supplying width, height and orientation. Perfeito Studio says hanging height, lighting angle and conservation guidance are coordinated with the project team, and that installation guidance is available on request. Weight and hanging hardware are not published, so ask the studio about the specific work.
Which orientation and dimensions format should be used?
The Getty's Categories for the Description of Works of Art records two-dimensional works height by width, with orientation implied by that order, in metric and US customary units where possible. Perfeito Studio lists width first (Silent Interval, 120 x 160 cm, is 120 cm wide and 160 cm high), so the example labels both axes and states the orientation.
How do I request a spec sheet for a specific work?
Start from the work's page on perfeitostudio.com, which lists the technical details and offers a request for the artist dossier and for additional images. Once the studio confirms availability it shares the documentation, including a technical sheet and scale references. Messages go through WhatsApp, and shipping and duties are quoted per destination.
Request the technical record for a work
Tell the studio which work and which wall; once availability is confirmed it shares the documentation, and shipping is quoted for your destination.
Sources
- ICOM (International Council of Museums) — 2026-10-26
- J. Paul Getty Trust, Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA), section 6 Measurements — 2026-10-26
- Perfeito Studio — 2026-10-26
- Perfeito Studio — 2026-10-26
- Perfeito Studio — 2026-10-26
- Perfeito Studio — 2026-10-26
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