Each provenance entry is hashed and linked to the previous. The chain only grows. Any attempt to alter an earlier record breaks the seal everywhere downstream — visibly, instantly.
How an entry is made
Five-step canonization.
Source
Artist statement, estate confirmation, exhibition catalogue, or accepted authority document. Source must be one of the four authoritative tiers; AI-drafted content is never canonized as fact.
Verify
Source content is verified against existing records. Conflicts are surfaced for resolution before canonization, never silently overwritten.
Canonize
The verified entry is hashed (SHA-256), linked to the previous chain head, and written atomically. The new chain head is the entry’s hash.
Anchor
The chain head is anchored to the SENTYAL substrate, making the entry resistant to silent rollback at any layer.
Audit
Auditable by any party with legitimate interest. The collector, the artist, an estate executor, an institution receiving a loan — all can verify the entry independently.
No record is ever rewritten. If something needs correction, a new entry references the old one and explains the correction. The history of the history is preserved.