ICOMObject ID is the internationally recognized documentation standard for identifying and describing cultural objects. Originally developed by the Getty Information Institute in collaboration with museums, police agencies, customs services, the art trade, and the insurance industry, it provides a practical, concise checklist designed to help protect cultural property from theft and illicit trafficking. Since 2004, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has held the license to promote Object ID among museum professionals worldwide.
Background
In 1993, the Getty Information Institute launched a collaborative project to define what information is most needed to identify cultural objects. Through extensive research, interviews, and questionnaire surveys — collecting over 1,000 responses from organizations in 84 countries — the project found close agreement on the core categories of descriptive information. The findings were published in Protecting Cultural Objects in the Global Information Society, and the resulting Object ID checklist was officially launched in 1997.
From 1999 to 2004, the Object ID project was housed at the Council for the Prevention of Art Theft (CoPAT) in the United Kingdom. In October 2004, ICOM signed an agreement with the J. Paul Getty Trust for ICOM's non-exclusive worldwide use of the standard. ICOM now organizes workshops on Object ID implementation in collaboration with UNESCO, the World Customs Organization, and INTERPOL.
Purpose & Scope
Object ID addresses a critical gap in cultural heritage protection: the absence of standardized documentation for cultural objects. Law enforcement agencies have long recognized that undocumented objects are nearly impossible to recover once stolen. Object ID provides a minimum set of information categories that, when consistently recorded, enable identification, cross-referencing against databases of stolen property (such as the INTERPOL database), and ultimately the recovery of cultural goods.
The standard is designed to be simple enough for broad adoption across institutions of varying size and technical capacity, while capturing enough detail to support identification. It applies to all categories of cultural objects — art, antiques, and antiquities.
Key Elements
Object ID defines nine categories of information:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Type of object | What kind of object it is (e.g., painting, sculpture, vase) |
| Materials and techniques | What the object is made of and how it was made |
| Measurements | Physical dimensions |
| Inscriptions and markings | Any text, marks, or labels on the object |
| Distinguishing features | Damage, repairs, or unique characteristics |
| Title | The name by which the object is known |
| Subject | What the object depicts or represents |
| Date or period | When the object was made |
| Maker | Who created the object |
The standard also prescribes four procedural steps: take photographs, answer the nine category questions, write a short description with additional details, and keep the documentation in a secure place.
Governance & Maintenance
Object ID is a trademark of the J. Paul Getty Trust. ICOM holds the license for worldwide promotion among museum professionals. The standard itself has remained stable since its 1997 launch, reflecting the deliberate simplicity of its design. Translations are managed by ICOM and national committees; Object ID is currently available in 17 languages including Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
Notable Implementations
Object ID has been adopted or endorsed by major law enforcement and intergovernmental bodies including:
- INTERPOL (integrated into their stolen works of art database)
- The FBI
- Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques Unit
- The Carabinieri Command for Cultural Heritage Protection (Italy)
- The World Customs Organization
- UNESCO
- The European Commission (cultural heritage protection policies)
- The National Museum of World Cultures Foundation (Netherlands)
The majority of customs authorities within the European Union member states use the standard.
Related Standards
- CIDOC-CRM — The CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model provides a far more detailed formal ontology for cultural heritage documentation; Object ID can be seen as a minimal, practical subset of the descriptive concerns addressed by CIDOC-CRM.
- SPECTRUM — The UK museum collections management standard, which includes Object ID-compatible fields within its broader procedural framework.