These Certificate, Provenance and Authenticity Requirements establish the standards for documenting ownership history, authenticity, attribution, provenance, and supporting evidence for items listed on the KOTLYARS international marketplace and auction platform.
Accurate provenance and authentic supporting documentation help protect buyers, sellers, and the integrity of the marketplace. Every authenticity claim must be supported by appropriate evidence and presented honestly.
These Requirements supplement the Terms and Conditions, Seller Terms, Auction Rules, Prohibited Items Policy, and all applicable product-specific rules. Where mandatory legislation applies, the relevant legal requirements prevail.
- Purpose and Scope. These Requirements apply to works of art, antiques, jewellery, gemstones, watches, collectibles, cultural property, precious metals, and any other items where provenance, authenticity, authorship, certification, or ownership history may influence a buyer's purchasing decision.
- Seller Responsibility. Sellers are solely responsible for the accuracy of all statements regarding ownership, creator, manufacturer, brand, age, materials, country of origin, rarity, condition, provenance, and supporting documentation. Publication or review by KOTLYARS does not transfer or reduce this responsibility.
- Evidence File. Before listing an item, sellers should assemble all relevant supporting documentation, including invoices, purchase contracts, inheritance records, previous auction catalogues, photographs, expert reports, laboratory certificates, service records, customs documentation, permits, and archival correspondence. The origin, acquisition date, and relevance of each document should be recorded.
- Provenance Summary in the Listing. Listings should contain a concise summary of known ownership history, previous sales, exhibitions, publications, transfers, and storage history where available. Unknown or incomplete provenance should be disclosed honestly without speculation.
- Document Types and Purpose. Certificates of authenticity, laboratory reports, expert opinions, appraisals, insurance valuations, receipts, warranty documents, permits, and export licences each serve different purposes and possess different evidential value. Documents must never be described in a misleading manner or represented as providing evidence beyond their actual scope.
- Issuer Requirements. Supporting documents should identify the issuing individual or organisation, professional qualifications, issue date, document number, and contact details where appropriate. Sellers should verify the issuer's competence and independence. KOTLYARS may reject documentation that cannot reasonably be verified.
- Matching a Document to the Item. Every supporting document should clearly identify the specific item through photographs, serial numbers, dimensions, weight, hallmarks, engravings, reference numbers, or other unique characteristics. Any discrepancy between the item and its documentation must be fully disclosed before sale.
- Authenticity and Attribution Language. Claims such as "authentic," "original," "created by," or "manufactured by" should only be used where supported by sufficient evidence. Where certainty is limited, sellers should use appropriate qualifying terminology such as "attributed to," "studio of," "circle of," "after," "in the style of," or "artist unknown." Opinions should never be presented as established fact.
- Signatures, Marks, Numbers and Branding. Signatures, hallmarks, logos, serial numbers, engravings, labels, and packaging should be clearly photographed and accurately described. Their presence alone does not automatically prove authenticity. Alterations, replacements, missing components, or inconsistencies must be disclosed. Sensitive serial numbers may be partially masked in public listings while remaining available for legitimate verification.
- Expert Opinions and Catalogues. Expert reports should identify the examined object, methodology, examination date, conclusions, confidence level, limitations, and the expert responsible. References to catalogue raisonnés, archives, artist foundations, estates, manufacturers, or other official records should be verifiable and accurately described, including any conflicting opinions.
- Gemstones, Jewellery and Precious Metals. Laboratory reports should identify gemstones or jewellery, disclose natural or laboratory-grown origin, detectable treatments, measurements, and examination limitations. Precious metal fineness, hallmarks, and composition should only be described to the extent actually verified. Laboratory reports are not market valuations unless expressly stated.
- Watches, Accessories and Service History. Watch listings should accurately identify the brand, model, reference number, serial number, movement, case, dial, bracelet, accessories, service history, and known replacement components. Original packaging or accessories do not by themselves establish authenticity or ownership.
- Art, Antiques and Cultural Property. Listings should identify the object type, materials, technique, dimensions, inscriptions, hallmarks, distinguishing characteristics, title, subject, date or period, creator, and include high-quality photographs. Sensitive cultural property may require enhanced provenance review and compliance with cultural heritage legislation.
- Ownership Chain and Lawful Title. Sellers should document ownership history as completely as reasonably possible, including previous owners, countries, transfer dates, and supporting documentation. Existing liens, ownership disputes, consignments, restitution claims, inheritance issues, or other legal interests must be disclosed.
- Gaps, Privacy and Redaction. Incomplete provenance does not automatically indicate unlawful origin but should never be concealed or reconstructed through assumption. Personal information and commercially sensitive details may be lawfully redacted where appropriate, provided that the remaining documentation continues to identify the transaction and its connection to the item.
- Lost, Stolen and Illegally Exported Items. For cultural property and other sensitive items, sellers should search appropriate stolen-property databases, including INTERPOL resources, relevant national registers, rights-holder notices, and ICOM Red Lists where applicable. If theft, looting, unlawful excavation, forced transfer, or illegal export is suspected, the item must not be listed.
- Export, Import and CITES. Sellers are responsible for determining whether export licences, import permits, customs documentation, cultural property declarations, or CITES permits are required. Documentation must relate specifically to the listed item and applicable shipment. Protected-species materials must comply with all relevant legal requirements.
- Digital Copies, Alteration and Verification. Scanned or photographed documents must be complete, legible, and accurately represent the originals. Alteration of dates, images, signatures, seals, document numbers, or findings is strictly prohibited. KOTLYARS may request original documents, metadata, additional reports, or independent verification where appropriate.
- KOTLYARS Review and Limits of Labels. KOTLYARS may conduct documentary or risk-based reviews but is not required to physically inspect every listed item. Any review level, verification status, or platform label applies only to the information reviewed at that time and should not be interpreted as an unconditional guarantee of authenticity, provenance, ownership, legality, or value.
- Buyer Access, Transfer and Post-Sale Action. Before bidding or purchasing, buyers should receive material information, copies of relevant documentation, and an opportunity to inspect original records where appropriate. Upon delivery, all promised certificates, permits, and supporting documentation should accompany the item. KOTLYARS may amend listings, remove items, restrict accounts, or cooperate with competent authorities where significant inaccuracies or legal concerns arise.
Core Principle. No single certificate, report, opinion, or document can simultaneously establish authenticity, legal title, complete provenance, lawful export, ownership history, and market value. Every statement made about an item must remain within the precise scope, purpose, and evidential limitations of the supporting documentation.
By listing an item on the KOTLYARS platform, sellers acknowledge their responsibility to provide accurate provenance, truthful authenticity statements, and complete supporting documentation consistent with these Requirements and applicable law.