Smart Certificates

In order to increase confidence within collectors and art enthusiasts, artist should make sure to accompany their artwork with a certificate of authentication. While a certificate is not only a proof of originality it also holds important information about the artwork. When artwork is resold after decades a certificate is for sure of benefit to all parties involved. Smart Certificates from steinhouseart have added benefits to the traditional method of certification by combining traditional paper certificates with blockchain technology and NFTs.

Non-Fungible Tokens

A NFT is a digital asset saved on a blockchain. The blockchain itself is managed by a network in a decentralized manner. In order to own a NFT one needs a digital wallet. Digital wallets work as every other online account - they come as apps or websites and require a password. 

Tezos

The network that we use for our Smart Certificates is the Tezos network. Contrary to other famous blockchain networks, the Tezos network is much more environmentally friendly since it requires drastically less energy.

Smart Contracts

NFTs are realized through smart contracts. A smart contract is code saved on the blockchain which implements the desired contract details. The NFT smart contract we use for our certificates is coming from the HEN marketplace. The NFTs on HEN are called OBJKTs and are distinguishable by unique IDs.

Bridging the gap

We combined the two worlds, one of fine physical art with that of the digital world. By establishing a unique connection between these two worlds, we can make use of digital advantages for physical art and their creators. Our Smart Certificate consists of a paper certificate, a secure decryption key in QR code form and an encrypted NFT. The NFT is saved unchangeably on the blockchain, the decryption key is attachted on the back of the canvas and the paper certificate is kept in a safe place. Only with both the QR code and the paper certificate can the NFT be decrypted and reveal the information stored on it. Without the original artwork and the paper certificate the NFT is useless. For the decryption process we provide an online verificator under the following link LINK.

Benefits

Authenticity

When it comes to buying art, nothing is more important than documented authenticity. For that, our standarized Certificates of Authenticity fullfil the high standards which apply in the modern art market. There is no special technical or legal skill required to issue a Certificates of Authenticity when using our Smart Certificates.

Security

By using our Smart Certificate you ensure that your work is much harder to falsify. Counterfeiters would now not only need to copy your style but also have access to the original artwork, the certificate and corresponding wallets.

Continuity

A Steinhouse Smart Certicate saves all the information related to the artwork unchangeably and continually on the blockchain. The data is saved in distributed system which makes it more durable than in a centralized system.

How to order

To begin the certification or as we like to call it the petrifying process, you need to provide us with the following information:

  • Picture of artwork
  • Title of artwork
  • Artist name
  • Object type
  • Year of creation
  • Material/Technique used
  • Dimensions
  • Edititon 
  • Signature
  • Description of artwork
  • Collection
  • Royalty rate (5-20%)
  • Tezos wallet address
  • Contact details
  • Certifying gallery, institution or person.

After receiving your information we will mint, encrypt and send out your certificates in PDF format to your email address and the NFT to your wallet, all within 48 hours.

How to apply

Each of your Smart Certificates consists of three parts which are handled differently:

  • The encrypted NFT which is kept in your wallet until sold.
  • A QR code which has to be attached to the back of the artwork. For your convinience you can choose in which format you receive your QR code (A4 or A6 or some standard sized format TBD). This QR code is only one component of the secure decryption key.
  • The paper certificate which is best printed on thick paper (>200mg) and needs to be signed by the artist or the certifying body. The paper certificate also includes a QR code where parts of the QR code are grey. Those parts have to be cut out manually - preferably with a carpet knife. The remaning parts of the QR code act as the final component of the key.

How to use

By holding the QR code on the paper certificate over the QR code attachted on the backside of the artwork the full QR code is obtained and can be used to decrypt the NFT.   

Conquer new markets

Venture into the ever expanding digital art world even with your physical artwork. By certifying your collections with our Smart Certificates you gain access to the rapidly growing NFT market. You can now list your collections on platforms such as hicetnunc.art and Objkt.com. Just sync your wallet on those platforms and put your NFT up for sale.