ART OF INDIA

Paintings and Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum

Guide to Museum Numbers

A variety of Museum numbers describe the items in the Indian and South-East Asian Collection. Below is a guide to the systems used in the Indian Section from 1852 to the present day, as well as an explanation of the prefixes found on transfers from other departments in the V&A.

Indian Section numbering (IS, IM, IPN and no prefix):

Year of acquisition                      Example of number system

1852-1879                                 285-1871 [no prefix]

1880                                         03558 (IS)

                                                4658 (IS)

1881-1902                                 520-1888 [no prefix]

                                                IS 2-1896

1903-1908                                18-1903 [no prefix] – not illustrated in this publication

1909-1944                                IM 56-1942

1945-                                       IS 10-1947

Prefixes:

AL                                            Art Library

Circ                                          Circulation

D                                             Drawing (Prints & Drawings)

E                                              Engraving (Prints & Drawings)

EID                                          Engraving, Illustration & Design

IS                                            Indian Section

IM                                            Indian Museum

IPN                                          Indian Provisional Number

Loan                                        Works on semi-permanent loan

P                                              Paintings (Prints & Drawings)

In the alphabetical sequence of museum numbers, items without a prefix occur at the beginning of the list, in chronological order.

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