Guide · Certificates of Authenticity
Certificate of Authenticity for Artwork: What It Must Include
A certificate of authenticity (COA) is a signed document that proves an artwork is genuine. To hold up, it must identify the work precisely: artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, edition. And it must be issued by the artist or an authorized representative. Below: the 8 fields every valid COA includes, with an example.
The 8 required fields
If any of these is missing, a gallery or buyer can reasonably question the document.
Artist name and signature
The certificate is only as credible as who signs it. Handwritten or verified digital signature.
Title of the work
Exactly as registered. A mismatch with the label or invoice puts the whole document in question.
Year of creation
Dates the work within the artist’s career. Essential for provenance.
Medium and materials
"Oil on linen", "archival pigment print". Specific enough to check against the physical work.
Dimensions
Height by width (by depth), framed or unframed stated. The fastest authenticity check there is.
Edition number
For prints and multiples: "3/25" plus the total edition size and any artist proofs.
An image of the work
A certificate without a photo can be attached to anything. The image binds document to object.
Date and place of issue
When and where the certificate itself was signed. Not the same as the year of creation.
Certificate of Authenticity
- Artist
- Elena Vasquez
- Title
- Study in Amber No. 4
- Year
- 2026
- Medium
- Oil on linen
- Dimensions
- 80 × 60 cm, unframed
- Edition
- Unique work
E. Vasquez
Signed in Lisbon, May 12, 2026
A complete certificate: every identifying field present, signed, and matched to the artwork it describes.
You can make a certificate by hand in a word processor, and most artists do. But a loose PDF gets lost, cannot be verified, and proves nothing on its own. Or the certificate can be born from the artwork's own record, carrying its history, always current, verifiable by QR, inside the place where your work already lives.
Catalog the artwork
Title, medium, dimensions, edition. Once.
Generate the certificate
Every field filled from the record. Nothing retyped.
Anyone scans the QR
The certificate resolves to the live artwork page.
In isee.art
Certificates that come from the record, not from a template
Born from the artwork record. Title, medium, dimensions and edition are pulled from your catalog, so the certificate can never contradict it.
Verifiable by QR. Anyone holding the certificate scans it and lands on the live artwork page. Proof that outlives the paper.
Always current. If the work changes hands or location, the record updates. The certificate keeps pointing at the truth.
Generate certificates from your artworks.
Catalog the work once. The certificate, with QR verification, is one click away.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who can issue a certificate of authenticity?+
The artist themselves, their estate, or an authorized representative such as their gallery or publisher. For living artists, a certificate signed by the artist is the strongest form. Third-party "authentication services" carry little weight without a connection to the artist.
Is a certificate of authenticity legally valid?+
It is evidence, not a guarantee. In some jurisdictions, such as US states with print-disclosure laws, a false certificate exposes the seller to liability. Its practical value is that it documents the chain from artist to owner, which is why the fields above matter more than any seal or watermark.
Does every artwork need one?+
Galleries and serious collectors expect one for any work sold, and for editions it is close to mandatory. For direct studio sales it is the cheapest professional signal an artist can give.
Can a certificate of authenticity be digital?+
Yes. A digital certificate linked to a live artwork record is harder to forge than paper, because the buyer can verify it against the source at any time.