Home
Introduction
Overview of Categories
Definitions of Categories
CDWA Lite
Object/Work
Classification
Titles or Names
Creation
Styles/Periods/
Groups/
Movements
Measurements
Materials and Techniques
Inscriptions/
Marks
State
Edition
Facture
Orientation/
Arrangement
Physical
Description
Condition/
Examination History
Conservation/
Treatment History
Subject Matter
Context
Descriptive Note
Critical Responses
Related Works
Current Location
Copyright/
Restrictions
Ownership/
Collecting History
Exhibition/Loan History
Cataloging History
Related Visual Documentation
Related Textual References
Person/Corporate Body Authority
Place/Location
Authority
Generic Concept Authority
Subject Authority
Cataloging Examples
Entity Relationship Diagram
The CDWA and Other Metadata Standards
Metadata Standards Crosswalk
Bibliography
 



Categories for the Description of Works of Art




J. Paul Getty Trust

College Art Association


Revised 2022 by Patricia Harpring
Murtha Baca and Patricia Harpring, Editors


 
Lepautre  / 

Le Cabinet des Beaux Arts


 

CDWA is a set of guidelines for the description of art, architecture, and other cultural works. CDWA represents common practice and advises best practice for cataloging, based on surveys and consensus building with the user community. CDWA is arranged in a framework to which existing art information data structures may be mapped and new data modeling may be referenced. CDWA is mapped to other standards in the Metadata Standards Crosswalk. An implementation of CDWA is the Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA). A subset of CDWA is incorporated in Cataloging Cultural Objects, designed for the visual resources community. CDWA advises use of the Getty Vocabularies.

The CDWA is maintained by the Getty Vocabulary Program. For comments and questions, please write to cdwa@getty.edu.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revised 24 January 2022