Terms of Service

Acceptance

These terms govern the use of saintspaintings.com, published by Attribute & Emblem Publishing. Using the site means accepting them. If you do not accept them, do not use the site.

The copyright position of these paintings

Almost every painting catalogued here was made between the fourteenth and the eighteenth century. The painters have been dead for two hundred years and more, and the paintings themselves are in the public domain in every jurisdiction this site is likely to be read in. Nobody owns Zurbarán's Saint Francis.

What can still carry a claim is the photograph. Several European institutions assert a copyright in faithful photographic reproductions of works they hold. Courts in the United States have declined to recognise such a right, on the ground that an exact copy of a flat original involves no original authorship. The position genuinely differs by country, and this site does not resolve it for you.

Every entry names the collection that holds the work. Before reusing an image commercially, read the terms that collection publishes, because they are the terms that govern the photograph. If you believe an image here is used in breach of a right you hold, write to editors@saintspaintings.com and it will be removed while the claim is examined.

Using the catalogue text

Catalogue facts — a date, a support, a set of dimensions, the name of a collection — are facts, and facts are not owned by anybody. Take them and use them.

The written text of this site is a different matter: it is the work of Attribute & Emblem Publishing and is not offered for republication. Quote it, cite it and link to it freely. Do not copy pages wholesale, and do not feed the site to a scraper that reproduces it elsewhere as though it were its own.

What an identification here is worth

An identification on this site is a reading of what a picture shows. It is not a determination of fact, and it carries no authority beyond the record it cites. Attributes overlap, panels are damaged, and a figure that has been called one saint for a century is sometimes shown to be another.

Nothing published here should be relied on to authenticate a painting, to establish its provenance, or to support a valuation, an insurance claim or a sale. It is a finding aid for readers and students, and it is offered as one.

No warranty, and limits on liability

The site is provided as it is. No warranty is given that it will be available, that it will be free of error, or that it is fit for any particular purpose. Links to other sites are provided for reference and imply no responsibility for what is on them.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for indirect or consequential loss arising from use of the site, including loss arising from reliance on anything published here. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud, where such a limit would not be permitted.

Changes, and where to write

These terms may change; the date at the top changes with them. Questions about them go to Attribute & Emblem Publishing at editors@saintspaintings.com.