A compact record for celestial images whose direction, material and architectural home meet in one museum encounter.
Do not turn a ceiling, coffin, boat or sign into a free-floating symbol. Keep room, boundary, register, surface and source visible, then decide what can responsibly be connected.
Name the building, object, institution and identifier. Record height, orientation, frame, mount and the side the display hides.
02
Boundary
Locate the edge where sky meets wall, body, boat, sign or empty ground. Describe the boundary before deciding what it means.
03
Register
Separate stars, figures, bands, boats, text and borders. Map their order and direction before using specialist names.
04
Surface
Describe paint, gilding, stone, faience, fibre, damage and reflection with relative language. Source technical terms later.
05
Direction
Follow one axis, arc, procession or repeated mark. Record where the route begins, ends or disappears behind the case.
06
Scale
Compare a broad view with a detail and note the distance at which marks resolve. Keep dimensions tied to the official record.
07
Source
Attach a collection record for title, date, material and context; use visitor guidance only for current access and rules.
08
Limit
End with uncertainty and a dated correction line. Keep observation, source wording and interpretation separate.
IN THE GALLERY
Locate the sky.
Start with the edge, the height, the axis or the support. Write what the eye can test from the current position. If a ceiling is cropped or a coffin side is hidden, mark unavailable before consulting a complete image. A sky image becomes clearer when its physical home remains in the first paragraph.
AFTER THE VISIT
Match claim to source.
Use a collection record for title, date, material and context. Use visitor guidance for hours, access and photography. Preserve wording and access date. A later diagram can extend the note, but it should not silently replace the surface the display allowed you to see.
CORRECTION LINE
Show what moved.
Write which layer changed, which source supports it and whether the original observation still stands. Keep a wide context frame beside any crop or tonal derivative. End with a question another visit or record could answer.
Three rules
Find the boundary. Follow the direction. Source the name.
Portable output
One identifier, two viewpoints, one sky map, one source and a dated correction line.
