All serious historical research entails investigation of primary and secondary documents. A document is anything written-it can be a personal letter or an entry in a census form. Primary documents are those that are written by those who actually witness the event that they describe. These are considered reliable, but must be considered in the context of the author's biases, disabilities, and knowledge. Secondary documents are written after the event they describe. The author of a secondary document has not witnessed the event. Secondary documents are generally considered less reliable, more prone to distortion and bias than primary evidence.

All of us at Art Experts are comfortable in finding and analyzing both primary and secondary documents. Of course, we are accustomed to dealing with actual antique documents, in addition to conducting web research. There are often logistical impediments to getting access to these documents, but we are skilled at being granted permission by the most prestigious collections in the world.

We understand that even primary documents are not simply neutral. Our experts are precise in using manuscript collections, inventories, gallery records, curatorial records. We understand how to make the most of our time at archives and libraries around the world. We are nimble in our translation skills and exercise our critical facilities in a number of languages.

Our goal is not simply to research for the sake of research. We don't waste your time in unnecessary searches. All our documentary research is empirical, and specifically tailored to answer your questions about the work of art you own.

Pietro Magni; La Leggitrice, model 1856, carved 1861, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.