merkinkintöjä
Merkinkintöjä is a Finnish term used in museum studies, archival science and related disciplines to describe the marks, inscriptions, stamps, or annotations that appear on objects such as artifacts, manuscripts, or documents. The concept covers a range of signs added at different stages of an object's life, including production marks, ownership seals, inventory numbers, cataloging notes, conservation stamps, and handling annotations. As a unit of analysis, merkinkintöjä helps scholars interpret provenance, dating, and usage history, as such marks can provide clues about origin, previous owners, or the institutional handling of an item.
In practice, researchers document merkinkintöjä during cataloging, conservation assessments, and provenance investigations. The analysis considers the
Related concepts include merkintä (notation or entry) and provenance research, which together help establish authenticity and