Certificate of Authenticity Template

What the template contains

Page one is a short set of instructions. Page two is a single blank certificate, laid out with ruled lines for typing in the DOCX or handwriting on the printed PDF, an optional space for a photograph of the work, a signature and date line, and an optional marked area for an artist’s seal — 35 mm across on A4 and 30 mm on A5.

• —Artist name
• —Artwork title
• —Year
• —Medium
• —Dimensions
• —Edition (if applicable)
• —Artwork or archive reference (optional)
• —Artwork image (optional)
• —Statement by the artist
• —Artist signature
• —Date signed
• —Artist's seal (optional)

There is no QR code, no verification address, no compulsory certificate number and no buyer, price or ownership field. Optional entries can simply be left blank.

A4 or A5

A4 landscape gives more writing room for longer titles, a fuller statement and larger handwriting, and suits work that is sold framed or delivered with other paperwork. A5 landscape is the compact option, sized to sit with the work itself or slip into a portfolio sleeve. Each size is laid out for its own page rather than shrunk down from the other, so the writing lines and seal area stay practical at either size.

Print at Actual size (100%). Do not use Fit to page or Scale to page, or the signature and seal areas will no longer measure correctly.

Who it is for

Any artist supplying an original work to a buyer, a gallery or a commissioner, and who wants a clear written record to travel with it. It works on its own, alongside a spreadsheet, a database or a notebook, and it does not depend on Vault Canvas.

How to complete it

• —A certificate of authenticity is the artist's signed statement accompanying the artwork. It is issued by the artist, not by a third party.
• —Complete every field accurately from your own records, using the same title, year, medium and dimensions you use everywhere else.
• —The artwork image, the archive reference and the artist's seal are optional. Leave them blank if they do not apply.
• —Write a short statement confirming the work in your own words, for example: “I confirm that the artwork described above is an original work made by me, and that the details recorded here are accurate.”
• —Sign and date the certificate by hand. It should normally be signed when the work is supplied to its owner.
• —Keep a scan or clear photograph of the completed certificate with your own records before the original leaves your studio.
• —Type entries at their natural length. If an unusually long entry will not fit, shorten it to the essential identifying information rather than letting the certificate grow onto another page.
• —This template does not independently authenticate artwork, and it is not legal advice. It cannot guarantee that it meets the requirements of any particular gallery, insurer, market or legal jurisdiction.

An artist’s certificate is not independent authentication

A certificate of authenticity is your own statement about your own work. Independent authentication is something else: an opinion given by a third party, such as a recognised expert, an artist’s estate or a catalogue raisonné committee, usually for work whose authorship is in question. This template does not authenticate anything, and it is not legal advice. It cannot guarantee that it meets the requirements of any particular gallery, insurer, market or legal jurisdiction.