A Fine Art Detective Service
Artefact Unlocked
Authentication Research · Attribution · Provenance · Discovery
What if the artwork you own is more significant than anyone has realised?
Artefact Unlocked turns the Fine Art Detective lens towards privately owned, inherited, overlooked and potentially misattributed works of art.
Through visual examination, attribution and authentication research, provenance reconstruction, historical comparison, symbolism, technical evidence and specialist consultation where required, we explore what a work may be, who may have created it, where it has travelled — and why it may matter.
Every artwork carries a past.
Some have lost their names.
Some have lost their histories.
Some have been attributed to the wrong hand.
Others may have been hiding in plain sight.
The Investigation
What we explore
Authentication Research
We assess the available evidence surrounding the age, materials, construction, technique and historical consistency of the work.
Attribution
We explore possible artists, workshops, schools and periods through stylistic comparison, signatures, inscriptions, materials and documented artistic practices.
Provenance
We search for ownership histories, collection marks, labels, inventories, correspondence, exhibitions and auction records that may help reconstruct the work’s journey through time.
Discovery
We examine the subject, sitter, symbolism, historical context and overlooked details that may reveal a deeper significance — or an entirely different understanding of the work.
How It Unfolds
The Process
Not a checkout, but a progression — each step taken only when the evidence justifies the next.
- 01
Apply for a Private Review
Provide photographs, dimensions, known history, supporting documents and details of any previous research, valuations or testing.
- 02
Preliminary Assessment
Fine Art Detective reviews the submitted material to determine whether there is a meaningful research pathway to pursue.
- 03
Research Pathway
If further examination is recommended, you will receive a proposed pathway outlining the research, technical assessment and specialist consultation that may be required.
- 04
Unlocking the Evidence
The work may progress through provenance reconstruction, archival research, technical imaging, materials analysis and consultation with relevant specialists.
- 05
The Artefact Dossier
The available evidence and findings may be brought together in a carefully prepared dossier, including supporting material and recommended next steps.
Terms of Engagement
A paid professional service
Artefact Unlocked is a private, fee-based professional service.
If your application is accepted, the preliminary assessment fee will be explained before any work begins.
Further research is individually scoped and quoted according to the complexity of the work and the depth of examination required.
Additional research, scientific testing, technical imaging, specialist consultation, photography, conservation assessment or travel may incur separate costs. These will always be discussed and approved before proceeding.
Alternative arrangements
In selected cases, Fine Art Detective may consider an alternative or blended commercial arrangement.
Any representation, institutional introduction or commercial participation would be governed by a separate written agreement.
Your Work, Held in Confidence
Private and confidential
All submissions are treated privately and confidentially. Owner information, photographs, documents and findings will not be made public without permission.
Compelling evidence, stronger provenance or a well-supported attribution may enhance an artwork’s historical significance and commercial potential.
Fine Art Detective cannot guarantee a particular attribution, authentication, institutional recognition or increase in value.
The evidence must be allowed to lead the way.
Bring Us Your Artwork
Apply for a private review
Tell us about the work and what you would like investigated. This is a written initial enquiry — a private, secure way to share photographs and documents will follow once we have received it.
Every artwork has a story.
Some are waiting to be unlocked.
Paid professional service · Private assessment · Confidential process
Artefact Unlocked
A Fine Art Detective service
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