3

EDITORIAL RULES, CONTINUED

3.5

Associative Relationships

Included in this chapter

• Related People and Corporate Bodies
• Relationship Type
• Historical Flag
• Dates for Associative Relationship

• Example
  [from editorial system, for the architect Christopher Wren]
  

[from an end-user display, for Christopher Wren]

3.5.1

Related People and Corporate Bodies

3.5.1.1

Definition
Associative relationships to other persons and corporate bodies in the ULAN, particularly any important ties or connections between people or between corporate bodies, excluding hierarchical whole/part relationships.

3.5.1.2

Values
Values for the Related entity are concatenated from other fields in the ULAN record.

3.5.1.3

Sources: Warrant for linking the people or corporate bodies
The same standard general references that are appropriate for the Descriptive Note may be used to determine which persons and corporate bodies are related. See 3.4 Descriptive Note.

3.5.1.4

Discussion
Related People and Corporate Bodies are the associative relationships between the ULAN record at hand and other ULAN records. Only clear and direct relationships should be recorded.

• Avoid making unimportant, indirect, or repetitive links between Related People and Corporate Bodies.
  
  If a thesaurus is bound by too many associative relationships between entities that are only loosely or indirectly related, the value of the relationships in retrieval is lost. Consider this question: If the end-user is interested in retrieving Artist X, will he or she also want to retrieve Artist Y? If not, probably there should not be an associative relationship between the two records; consider whether the information about the second artist is better expressed in the Descriptive Note.
  

3.5.1.5

RULES

3.5.1.5.1

Minimum requirements

Optional: Make links between people and corporate bodies who are professionally directly related to each other. For important patrons and families of artists, certain familial relationships may also be recorded here; in ULAN, Hierarchical Relationships are not used for family trees.

3.5.1.5.2

• When to make Associative Relationships
  Make links to Related People and Corporate Bodies when it is useful to the end-user to have cross-references. Think in terms of retrieval: Would such a link be useful in research and discovery of art information? If not, do not make a link to the Related People and Corporate Bodies (instead, you may mention the other person in the Descriptive Note, if warranted).
  
  Confusion between two persons or corporate bodies
  If there is a significant possibility that two persons or corporate bodies may be confused because they have historically been confused or the identities of the artists may be the same (e.g., an anonymous artist is possibly identified as a named artist), link them as Related People.
  
  
• Example
  [for the Master of King René of Anjou]

• Do not link homographs
  If the only cause of potential confusion is that the artists have the same or similar names, do not link them through associative relationships unless they are members of the same family. In most cases, the Display Biography of the artists will be enough to distinguish them.
  
  In the rare case that there has been historical confusion between the two people or corporate bodies with the same or similar names, describe the issue regarding their similar names in the Descriptive Note (see Chapter 3.3) and link through associative relationships if warranted. See also Families below.
  
  
• Variant names vs. separate records for persons
  If scholarly opinion is divided as to whether or not one person is the same as another, make separate records for each person and link them with relationship type: possibly identified with. This typically occurs with anonymous masters or other artists whose identity has been in question. For example, Barthélemy d'Eyck is possibly, but not firmly, identified with Master of the Annunciation of Aix. Given that the association is uncertain, do not put the name Master of Master of the Annunciation of Aix in the record for Barthélemy d'Eyck. Make two separate records and link them through associative relationships.
  
  
• Example
  [for the Master of the Annunciation of Aix]
• Relationship Type: possibly identified with
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Eyck, Barthélemy d' (Netherlandish painter, active in France, documented 1444, died ca. 1476)
  
  
• If scholars generally agree that both identities represent a single artist, make only one record for the person and include the other names as variant names (rather than making two records and linking them through associative relationships, e.g., for Robert Campin who was formerly known as the anonymous Master of Flémalle). See 3.3 Names.

• Variant names vs. separate records for corporate bodies
  If one firm or other corporate body is the historical counterpart to a later firm (both may have similar names), link them through associative relationships.
  
  Another option: If the name of a corporate body has changed, you may include the names in one record rather than making two records in certain cases: If the entities existed at least several centuries ago, or otherwise the details of the separate entities are insignificant or unknown.
  
  
  • One record: Generally include former names in one record for the entity rather than making two records 1) if the entity is a historical studio or institution with no or little difference in administration and location (e.g., Manufacture Royale des Gobelins and Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins are two names in the same record), or 2) if the primary partners have remained the same for a contemporary firm. See 3.3 Names.
    
    
  • Two records: Generally make two records 1) for historical entities, if the function or location of the historical entity changed with the name change, or 2) if the name changed significantly for a contemporary firm, the primary partners have changed, or the firm prefers to distinguish its separate incarnations.
    
    Make a decision based on the way the issue is presented on the firm's Web page or other official publication, or the way the firm is listed in scholarly publications. For example, based on the use of the terms in scholarly literature, Adler & Sullivan and Adler and Sullivan, Architects are different names for a single firm, but the earlier firms Burling & Adler and D. Adler & Co. are each separate firms.
    
    Link two firms as Related Corporate Bodies only if there is a direct historical or other relationship between the two entities. Do not link entities that have in common only one or two members; for example, in the example above, Burling & Adler and D. Adler & Co. are not linked to each other because the only characteristic they share is the member Dankmar Adler. However, D. Adler & Co. and Adler & Sullivan are linked with an associative relationship because both Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan worked as primary architects in both firms, and the later firm is generally considered a successor of the earlier one in scholarly literature.
    
    
  • Example
    [for D. Adler & Co.]
  • Relationship Type: predecessor of
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Adler & Sullivan (American architectural firm, founded in 1883)

• Student/teacher relationships
  Include major student/teacher relationships for the artist.
  
  
• Example
  [partial list for Rembrandt van Rijn]
• Relationship Type: student of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Lastman, Pieter (Dutch painter and draftsman, 1583-1633)
  
  
• Relationship Type: teacher of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Backer, Jacob Adriaensz (Dutch painter, 1608-1651)
  
  
• Relationship Type: teacher of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Bol, Ferdinand (Dutch history and portrait painter, 1616-1680)
  
  
• Relationship Type: teacher of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Dou, Gerrit (Dutch painter and draftsman, 1613-1675)
  [etc.]

• Members of firms
  Link a firm, studio, or manufactory to its members as time and editorial priorities allow. If you link one member to a firm, link all of the major members.
  
  
• Examples
  [for Frank Lloyd Wright]
• Relationship Type: founder of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Oak Park Studio (American architectural firm, established ca. 1896, dissolved 1909)
  
  [for I. M. Pei & Partners]
  
• Relationship Type: founded by
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Pei, I. M. (American architect, born 1917, born in China)
  
  
• Relationship Type: partner was (firm to person)
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Cobb, Henry Nichols (American architect, born 1926)
  
  
• Relationship Type: partner was (firm to person)
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Fredenburgh, Harold (American architect, contemporary)
  
  
• Relationship Type: partner was (firm to person)
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Freed, James Ingo (American architect, born 1930)
  
  
• Relationship Type: partner was (firm to person)
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Jacobson, Leonard (American architect, 1921-1992)
  
  
• Relationship Type: partner was (firm to person)
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Leonard, Eason H. (American architect, contemporary)
  
  
• Relationship Type: partner was (firm to person)
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Wandelmaier, Werner (American architect, active after 1955)

• Families
  For artists and major patrons, link members of families to each other. If you link one artist to any family member, link them to all of their prominent family members.
  
  
  • For people with names that are homographs containing a designation of family, such as the elder or Jr., link the family members.
    
    
• Examples
  [for Gao Jianfu]
• Relationship Type: sibling of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Gao Qifeng (Chinese painter, 1889-1935)
  
  [for Artemisia Gentileschi]
  
• Relationship Type: child of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Gentileschi, Orazio (Italian painter, 1563-1639)
  
  
• Relationship Type: spouse of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Stiattesi, Pietro (Italian painter, active 17th century)
  
  [for Pieter Bruegel the Elder ]
  
• Relationship Type: child by marriage (in-law) of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Coecke van Aelst, Pieter, the elder (Flemish artist, architect, and author, 1502-1550)
  
  
• Relationship Type: child by marriage (in-law) of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Verhulst, Mayken (Flemish painter, ca. 1520-1600)
  
  
• Relationship Type: grandparent of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Brueghel, Ambrosius (Flemish painter, 1617-1675)
  
  
• Relationship Type: grandparent of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Brueghel, Jan, the younger (Flemish painter and draftsman, 1601-1678)
  
  
• Relationship Type: grandparent of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Brueghel, Pieter, III (Flemish painter, born 1589, died after 1608)
  
  
• Relationship Type: parent of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Brueghel, Jan, the elder (Flemish painter, draftsman, 1568-1625)
  
  
• Relationship Type: parent of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Brueghel, Pieter, the younger (Flemish artist, born 1564 or 1565, died 1637 or 1638)
  
  
• Relationship Type: member of
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Brueghel family (Flemish painters, active 16th-17th centuries)
  
  
• In general, do not link family members who are not artists or major patrons.
  
  
• Record for the family per se: For major families of artists or patrons, make a record for the family and link the members to the family record. You will generally need to construct a name (e.g., Brueghel family; see also 3.3 Names), because the name per se will rarely be found in a source. If you link to any member of the family, link to all significant members ofthe family who are artists or patrons.
  
  
• Example
  [for the record "Brueghel family"]
  

• Exception: Do not make a record for the family if there are only two or three members. Make a family record only when there are several or many family members, and when the history of the family as an entity is significant and warrants separate discussion.

• Corporate Bodies: Hierarchical vs. Associative Relationships
  For corporate bodies, do not make associative relationships when hierarchical relationships are more appropriate. For the administrative subdivisions that have part/whole relationships to institutions, manufactories and other entities, use the hierarchical relationships.
  
  
  • See the list of Relationship Types below for further examples of when to make associative relationships.

3.5.2

Relationship Type

3.5.2.1

Definition
A term or phrase characterizing the relationship between the person or corporate body at hand and the linked person or corporate body.

3.5.2.2

Values
Values are controlled by an extensible controlled list comprising a code and phrase. Each code-plus-phrase is linked to another code, which is the reciprocal relationship. Some relationships are symmetric, meaning they are the same in both directions.

• Example
  [partial view of controlled list]

3.5.2.3

RULES

3.5.2.3.1

Appropriate Relationship Types
It is required to include a Relationship Type for each Related Person and Corporate Body.

• Choose the specific suitable Relationship Type. If necessary, use the broad related to as a default. If a new relationship type is needed, contact the Vocabulary Program.
  
  
  

• Link to the correct side of the relationship
  Relationship Types are reciprocal (that is, linked to both records). When you choose a Relationship Type, make sure that the Relationship Type and its counterpart will work from the points of view of both linked records.
  
  
  • For some relationships, the relationship type is the same on both sides of the link; however, for most it is different depending upon which record you are in. Take care to choose the correct relationship for the focus record (i.e., the record you are viewing when you make the relationship).
    
    Consider what will make sense when displayed to a user. For example, if you are in the record of a teacher, the relationship type linking to the student is "1101 teacher of," because the artist in the focus record is the teacher of the artist in the linked record. If you view the record for the linked artist, the reciprocal relationship type will be "1102 student of."
    
    
• Example
  [for Jan Thomas, whose master was Rubens; in Rubens' record, Rubens was the master of Thomas]
• Relationship Type: master was
  Related Person or Corporate Body: Rubens, Peter Paul
  
  
• Caveat: When relationship types are homographs, be very careful to link to the correct one. For example, as illustrated below, if you are linking a master to their charge, be sure use "master of" #1111. Does it make sense from the focus record's point of view? Rubens was the master of Jan Thomas. Thomas's master was Rubens.
  

• Avoid redundant links
  Generally, do not make multiple links between any two entities. If two relationships apply between the two entities, make only the most important relationship. For example, if there is a father/son relationship, do not also make a teacher/student relationship between the two.
  
  
  • In general, do not make relationships between entities that have the relationship expressed in another way; for example, if members of a firm are linked to the firm, do not link the members to each other.
    
    Exception: For family members, link them to each other, even if they are also linked to a separate record for the family. This is done in order to express the specific relationship between members, e.g., parent/child). See the examples of the Brueghel family above.
    

• Definitions of Relationship Types
  Apply Relationship Types according to the the definitions in the table below.
  
  Relationship types is an extensible list.
  
  

   »List of relationship types:

• general
  
  related to: General designation for relationships, where no specific relationship is known or appropriate.
  
  miscellaneous: Do not use. Reserved for problematic data loads.
  
  associated with: For generic professional relationships.
  
  possibly identified with: For two records that may possibly represent the same person or corporate body, but this fact is not firmly established and accepted. (If it is generally accepted by scholars that both names refer to the same person, put both names in the same record.)
  
  distinguished from: For two people or corporate bodies who are often confused for each other. Do not use for people who simply have similar names; use only for artists who historically have been confused in scholarly research.
  
  meaning / usage overlaps with: For two people or corporate bodies who represent entities that partially overlap in meaning or usage. An example would be unknown Native American and unknown First Nations.
  

• <person to person - teaching/learning>
  The following relationships may be used, as appropriate and described in scholarly literature. These refer to relationships between two people.

• <person to person / person to firm - patronage>
  Generally for relationships between artists and patrons.

• <person to person - professional collaboration>
  For artists who worked together as peers (or with one assisting another), not in a master/student relationship.

• <person to firm/group - professional collaboration>
  For artists who worked for a firm, studio, artist family, or other corporate body. For families, use member of.

• <firm/group to firm/group>
  For firms or other corporate bodies where one followed another chronologically and was clearly the successor of the other.

• <person to person - family relationships>
  For people related as family members to other people.

• <person to person - personal relationship>
  For personal relationships, outside of family ties.

• <person to institution - professional/administrative>
  For professional or administrative relationships between people and institutions.

3.5.2.3.2

Adding new Relationship Types
If you need to add another Relationship Type to this list, contact the Vocabulary Program.

3.5.3

Historical Flag

3.5.3.1

Definition
Flag indicating the historical status of the relationship between related people or corporate bodies.

• Example
  [for Otto Ludwig Sinding]

3.5.3.2

Values
Values are drawn from a controlled list.

C - Current
H - Historical
B - Both
N/A - Not Applicable
U - Undetermined

3.5.3.3

RULES

• Default flag for the relationship is Not Applicable (NA).
  
  
  • Current: For relationships that still exist.
    
    
  • Historical: For a historical relationship that no longer exists.
    
    
  • Both: For a relationship that existed historically, was not in place for a time, and is now currently in place.
    
    
  • Undetermined: This flag is used primarily for data loads.

3.5.4

Dates for Related People and Corporate Bodies

3.5.4.1

Definition
Dates delimiting the relationship between the related people or corporate bodies.

• Example
  [for Frans Hals]

3.5.4.2

Fields
There are three fields: Display Date, Start Date, and End Date.

3.5.4.3

Values

Display Date is a free-text field; values are Unicode.

Start Date and End Date must be numbers that represent years. Dates BCE are represented by negative numbers.

3.5.4.4

Sources
The dates should be determined using the same standard reference works that supply other information about the relationship.

3.5.4.5

Discussion
The Display Date is a note field that usually refers to a period or date for the relationship. However, the Display Date note may contain notes that do not explicitly make reference to a date. In such cases, the note should implicitly refer to a date or datable condition or event, because you are required to include a Start Date and End Date with every Display Date.

• Display dates are indexed with Start Date and End Date containing numbers representing years; dates BCE are represented by negative numbers.

3.5.4.6

RULES

Optional: Record dates if appropriate.

Basic rules appear below. For full discussion, see Appendix B: Dates.

• Dates are not required. However, if you enter data in any of the three fields, you must enter data in all three of the date fields.
  
  
• The dates appear on reciprocal links. That means that the same dates will appear in both records. Write the Display Dates and assign Start and End Dates so that they will be correct and unambiguous in both records. Repeat the names of the person or corporate body in the Display Date when necessary to avoid ambiguity, as in the example below.
  
  
  • Example
    [for Pierre Subleyras]
  • Relationship Type: student of
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Rivalz, Antoine (French painter and printmaker, 1667-1735)
    Display Date: Subleyras entered Rivalz's workshop in Toulouse in 1717
    Start Date: 1717 End Date: 1720
    
    
• A brief set of rules for Dates appears below. See also Appendix B: Dates and Dates for Names in Chapter 3.3 Names.

3.5.4.6.1

Display Date

• Follow the style of existing Display Dates.
  
  
  • Examples
    [for Alfred Stieglitz]
  • Relationship Type: spouse of
    Related Person or Corporate Body: O'Keeffe, Georgia (American painter, 1887-1986)
    Display Date: 1924-1946
    Start Date: 1924 End Date: 1946
    
    [for Michael Palladino]
    
  • Relationship Type: partner in
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Richard Meier & Partners (American architectural firm, contemporary)
    Display Date: since 1985
    Start Date: 1985 End Date: 2054
    
    [for Gobelins]
    
  • Relationship Type: directed by
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Le Brun, Charles (French designer, painter, and draftsman, 1619-1690)
    Display Date: appointed as artistic director 8 March 1663
    Start Date: 1633 End Date: 1690
    
  • Relationship Type: directed by
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Mignard, Pierre, I (French painter and portraitist, 1612-1695)
    Display Date: succeeded Le Brun in 1690
    Start Date: 1690 End Date: 1695
    
    
• Do not use an initial capital, unless the word is a proper name.
  
  
• Do not use full sentences; do not end the display date with a period or any other punctuation.
  
  
• Typically the display date should refer, explicitly or implicitly, to a time period or date associated with the link between the Related People and Corporate Bodies.
  
  
• If a date is uncertain, use a broad or vague designation or other terms such as ca. and probably to express uncertainty (e.g., the word probably in the example below).
  
  
  • Example
    [for Niccolò di Ser Sozzo]
  • Relationship Type: apprentice was
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Bartolo di Fredi (Sienese painter, active by 1353, died 1410)
    Display Date: Bartolo was probably the apprentice of Niccolò, probably after Black Death of 1348
    Start Date: 1348 End Date: 1358
    
    
• Display date as a note: In some cases, the Display Date may be used to record unusual or important information about the Related People and Corporate Bodies relationship (see the example below), but not referring explicitly to a date. However, dates should be implicit in the condition or event mentioned and you should have a period or date in mind, because — if you record a Display Date — Start and End dates are required.
  
  
  • Example
    [for Jan Joest]
  • Relationship Type: related to (familial)
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Baegert, Derick (German artist, active 1476-1515)
    Display Date: probably a close relative
    Start Date: 1455 End Date: 1519

3.5.4.6.2

Start Date and End Date
Use dates that most broadly delimit the span of time of the relationship referred to in the display date. In many cases, the years will be approximate. When in doubt, it is better to estimate too broad a span rather than too narrow a span. See the Date Authority in Appendix B for approximate dates of historic events and entities; you should also consult other, related records in ULAN to establish dates.

• Dates must be expressed in the proleptic Gregorian calendar, which is the Gregorian calendar projected back in time before it came into existence.
  
  
• Express dates BCE with negative numbers, using a hyphen before the number. Do not use commas or any other punctuation
  .
  • Example
    [for Julius Caesar]
  • Relationship Type: patron of
    Related Person or Corporate Body: Arkesilaos (Greek sculptor, active mid-1st century BCE)
    Display Date: ca. 46 BCE
    Start Date: -51 End Date: -41
    
    
• For relationships that are in place until the end of the artist's life or the dissolution of the corporate body, use the Death Date as the End Date for the relationship.
  
  
  • Example
    [for Alfred Stiegltz, he was married to Georgia O'Keeffe at the time of his death in 1946]
  • Relationship Type: spouse of
    Related Person or Corporate Body: O'Keeffe, Georgia (American painter, 1887-1986)
    Display Date: 1924-1946
    Start Date: 1924 End Date: 1946

Last updated 3 December 2024
Document is subject to frequent revisions