Material index / 01—06

Six fields for one identified object.

Begin with the museum’s material term, map structure and surface, then separate direct observation from technical analysis and present display.

01 / STONE

Read stone as a changed surface

Tooling, polish, pigment, breakage, salts and restoration all contribute to the surface visible in a museum.

Open register →02 / WOOD

Wood survives through structure and intervention

Grain, joins, paint, insect channels and fills must be read with the object record rather than diagnosed from appearance.

Open register →03 / METAL

Metal colour is not composition

Corrosion, coatings, joins, inlays and gallery light complicate every quick identification of bronze, copper, gold or silver.

Open register →04 / FAIENCE

Keep glaze, body and light separate

Colourful surfaces depend on composition, firing, burial and display; the visible blue or green is only a beginning.

Open register →05 / PAPYRUS

Fibres carry text and damage

Sheet structure, joins, ink, gaps, mounting and translation must remain visible around every readable line.

Open register →06 / TEXTILE

Weave, dye and display share the field

Threads become readable through structure, color, loss, backing and institutional analysis rather than touch or visual guesswork.

Open register →

Material is not appearance alone

Colour, gloss and texture are valuable observations but cannot independently identify geological source, species, alloy, pigment, dye or treatment.

Composite objects need layers

Support, surface, attachments, inlays and modern mounts may carry different materials and histories. Record boundaries before reducing the object to one word.

Display belongs in the record

Glass, lighting, backing, distance and inaccessible sides shape what a visitor can verify. Date those conditions and keep official object records separate.