Help using the Advanced search
The advanced search lets you search for,
browse and combine two or more controlled terms used in the
collection database to find, for example all prints by Rembrandt or
all Ming dynasty vessels. What is a
controlled term?
Step by step:
1. Select a category using the drop-down box
2. Enter a search term in the text box next to it.
Click the arrow to find terms (or press enter on your keyboard)
to search for relevant terms used in the database.
Try searching in this way on a variety of terms to see which is
recognised by the database. You can enter a term using a wild card
search if you are not sure of the correct spelling, for example,
Min* will return results such as Minoan, Ming dynasty and so
on).
2. Once in the term search screen you can click on a term
to see all the objects associated with it, or select the term
- or terms - you want to use to build a search:
- Select a term - or terms – to build up a tailored search
combining a number of terms by selecting the check box beside
the term you require and clicking ‘Add selected terms to your
object search’. This will return you to the Advanced search screen
and automatically add your selected terms to your tailored
search.
- Browse the thesaurus by viewing the narrower terms – a link
will appear next to the term if narrower terms exist. Each narrower
term may itself have narrower terms. Users can keep clicking
through to check these and browse the hierarchy until the narrower
term link is no longer shown. This means that the most specific
term has been reached.
You can select a number of different terms from the same or
different categories.
Please note: selecting a term with narrower terms will also
retrieve these narrower terms (e.g. China would also retrieve towns
and villages in China) for use in your search.
All the terms you select will be inserted into
'Your object search'.
4. Repeat steps 1-2 using the same or
other categories, until you have all the terms you need
5. Free text and Production date (optional)
The terms you have selected and entered into
'Your object search' can be combined with a free text search.
Any word entered in the search box will return results
from across all information held in the title, description and
subject fields of our object records and will retrieve every record
that has this word in it, including plural
versions.
The Free text search works in much the same
way as most online searches, so you can enter one or more words as
well as punctuation. For example:
Any word, or combination of words, can be
entered in the free text search box. For example:
British watercolour
British OR watercolour
"St Peter"
wood*
will find all records containing both
'British' and 'watercolour', or watercolours
will find records containing either word (OR must be
upper-case)
will find records containing that exact phrase
will perform a wild card search and find records
containing wood, woods, wooden, woodwork, woodcock, woodcocks
and so on.
You can also further narrow down your search by adding
dates.
6. Search for objects
When you have chosen all your search criteria, click on Search
for objects, which is on the Advanced search screen.
Help - Categories
Cultures/Periods/Dynasties
This covers historical periods and dynasties
such as, or example, 11th Dynasty, Edo Period or Medieval, as well
as terms used to describe a cultural region such as Byzantine or
Persian.
Escapement
This is the name given to the part of
a clock or watch that controls the rate at which it
functions (e.g. ticks). This rate is determined by the
timekeeping element (the controlling device), usually a swinging
pendulum or an oscillating balance. Whilst the controller locks and
unlocks the escapement, the latter gives impulse to the
former to keep it swinging or oscillating.
Ethnic group
This covers the names of peoples, tribes or ethnic groups.
Object types
This refers to the type of object in
the collection such as figure, bowl, print or skirt. The object
types are arranged in a hierarchy, so a search for cup – for
example – will find all cups, and all coffee cups, tea cups and so
on.
Please note: almost all of the two-dimensional
works of art included in the database have been categorised as a
‘print’, ‘drawing’ or ‘painting’. Many works can also be found
under a more specific classification, such as satirical print,
broadside, book illustration or surimono, though they may also be
found as narrow terms of broader object types.
People
This field covers all types of names that are
linked with objects: makers (artists, manufacturers, publishers,
printers, for example), acquisition names (donors, or previous
owners, for example) people portrayed on an object, those
authorising the issue of coins or banknotes, or authors
of illustrated works.
It covers historical, as well as mythological
(e.g. Hercules) and religious (e.g. Buddha, Noah) names, as well as
organisations or companies.
To find a specific name, enter is as
fully as possible, for example, e.g. William Hogarth, or
Hogarth, William. If you enter just one element of the name, e.g.
William or Hogarth you will get results for every use of that
particular element.
If you are specifically interested in previous
owners, donors or vendors you should use the Museum number and provenance search.
Places
The geographical thesaurus is used to record
place of production (though this is often not known for Western
prints and drawings) the place where an object was found or
excavated, topography (views of places) and any other
associations. The high level terms are regions, as well as
countries and continents.
A geographical thesaurus is extremely
difficult to construct, since it has to cover places and countries,
many of which no longer exist, or which have changed their
names, spellings, boundaries or ruling authority. If you
cannot find a place, try searching with a higher level term, such
as a country or region.
Archaic place names are also included. These
include regions whose boundaries have changed – such as British
counties or European countries, towns that exist only in the
archaeological record, such as Troy or Verulamium, and buildings
whose location is unknown.
Schools/styles
This is designed to capture an art-historical
stylistic affiliation rather than any geographical or chronological
origin.
Eastern schools and styles are categorised
traditionally according to the artistic style in which the works
are made, for example, Persian School or South Asian School.
For Western art, the schools indexed here are
usually those of the modern states: Italian, French, German,
British and so on. ‘British’ is not sub-divided into ‘English’,
‘Scottish’, ‘Welsh’, or ‘Irish’ (though since Irish independence
artists are categorised as Irish).
‘Netherlandish’ becomes ‘Dutch’ or ‘Flemish’
in the late sixteenth century. For works dated since 1830
‘Belgian’ becomes a school. Italian artists (uniquely) are
sub-divided into Venetian, Florentine and so on.
Subjects
This thesaurus covers subjects depicted in or
on an object and indexes terms at a more general level. For
example, it includes the term ‘fish’ but not ‘salmon’. It includes
conceptual terms as well as those reflecting people and nature. Its
top terms are, for example, animal, plant and so on. Specific terms
should be searched for using the Free text search.
Materials
This covers the materials used to make an
object. It includes wider terms such as wood or stone, as well as
more specific terms such as oak, applewood, granite or marble.
For graphic art, this covers the material of
the support on which the pigment is placed. In most cases this will
be paper (different types of paper have not been distinguished). It
can, however, also be silk, barkcloth, vellum, canvas or linen and
so on. It does not cover the drawing or printing pigment.
Techniques
This covers the techniques employed to make an object, such as
carved, glazed, or woodcut. The terms are hierarchical, so a search
for glazed will include all narrower terms such as salt-glazed,
celadon-glazed or lustred.
In terms of two-dimensional art, depending
on scholarly convention, the terms ‘drawn’ and ‘painted’ have
been used interchangeably. The Department of Prints and
Drawings at the British Museum does not use the term
‘painted’, whereas some departments, especially the Department of
Asia, do use this term.
The techniques of printmaking have been
indexed in this field in a structured hierarchy: e.g. intaglio
covers both etching and engraving, while etching covers
soft-ground.
The methods of drawing do not lend themselves
to categorising in this way, and so drawings have only been entered
under the term ‘drawn’, paintings under the term 'painted'.
Terms for media, such as ‘graphite’ or
‘pencil’, ‘watercolour’ or ‘chalk’ can only be found through a free
text search.
Ware
The ware thesaurus is used to record the type
of ceramic that was used to make an object, such as Arita ware or
Agano ware.