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READING / History & provenance

One object, several dates

Making, purchase and museum accession are different events.

Thai cultural context. Not merchandise, provenance evidence or authentication.
Thai cultural context. Not merchandise, provenance evidence or authentication.
Wat Ratchathammaram, Koh Samui · Photo: Anton Lammert / Unsplash · Images & sources ↗

A closer look

Making, purchase and museum accession are different events. A late-thirteenth-century attribution and a 2005 accession date answer different questions. Keeping them separate makes the record clearer.

How to continue

Continue looking: write down visible details and keep interpretations in a separate column. Record viewing conditions, the photograph date and missing information. Revise when evidence changes, so the next reader can see what supported each judgement.

Scope: this is an editorial close reading. References support only the named collection examples or care principles, not authentication of shop stock or claims of religious efficacy.