Description
Measure a supplied provenance date-uncertainty span.
Art records distinguish inscriptions, source readings, edition states, provenance dates and authority identifiers. A recorded signature is not authenticated authorship, and a possible-date span is not a probability distribution. Linear impression/plate ratios preserve selected geometry without establishing edition identity or value.
Measure a supplied provenance date-uncertainty span.
When to use this tool
Use Provenance Transaction Date Uncertainty when you already have earliestDate, latestDate and need to measure a supplied provenance date-uncertainty span.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter earliestDate, latestDate. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read uncertaintySpanDays, exactDate. Inspect exactDate before interpreting the associated values.
Parse real UTC dates with latest>=earliest; return elapsed calendar days and exactDate=true when the strings match.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| earliestDate | Earliest Date | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. Real proleptic Gregorian YYYY-MM-DD; four-digit years 0000-9999 accepted. |
| latestDate | Latest Date | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. Real proleptic Gregorian YYYY-MM-DD; four-digit years 0000-9999 accepted. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| uncertaintySpanDays | Elapsed calendar days from earliest to latest, without inclusive plus-one counting. | Required. Safe integer. |
| exactDate | Exact Date | Required. Boolean. |
{
"input": {
"earliestDate": "2026-10-28",
"latestDate": "2026-11-01"
},
"output": {
"uncertaintySpanDays": 4,
"exactDate": false
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- The span is a possible-date interval, not a probability distribution. No transaction, provenance, title, ownership or exact historical date is established.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Inspect original works, source documents, catalogues and relevant authority records. Use the complete provenance and scholarly assessment for attribution, chronology or rights; local labels and ratios do not make those determinations.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Painting Signed Versus Dated Label
Label supplied signature and date-inscription record flags.
- Art Edition Out Of Series Copy Tag
Label a supplied artwork-copy edition status.