Last updated: August 7, 2026
NFC Art Authentication Explained
Tethered uses rolling-encryption NFC hardware to authenticate physical artworks, create durable provenance records, and pay artist resale royalties on sales completed through the platform. No blockchain required.
Provenance is the documented history of an artwork's ownership, exhibition, and location over time. Tethered records ownership transfers, auctions, and NFC scans to build a durable provenance trail tied to the physical work. Collectors, galleries, insurers, and auction houses can scan a Tethered-tagged artwork and review its recorded history on the spot, instead of relying on paper certificates that can be lost or forged.
Tethered verifies that a genuine, unaltered Tethered tag is present and displays the provenance information entered by the work's artist, gallery, or owner. Tethered does not independently guarantee the authorship, attribution, authenticity, or legal title of the underlying artwork; it gives collectors a verifiable record to inform their own decisions.
When an artist registers a work on Tethered, they set their own resale royalty percentage. Each time that artwork is resold through the platform, the royalty is paid automatically to the artist, with no invoice-chasing or manual tracking.
If a work changes hands outside the platform, the sale is not processed by Tethered and the automatic royalty does not apply. Because off-platform transfers are not recorded through Tethered's payment flow, the work's provenance chain will show a gap, itself a signal that a sale occurred outside the verified record.
Transaction fees are collected from the buyer at the time of purchase and from the seller when withdrawing funds, as disclosed at the time of the transaction. Primary-listing fees for artists are described on our pricing page.
Galleries on Tethered can manage curated collections of NFC-tagged artworks, invite artists to a gallery roster, and run sales and live auctions through the platform. Every artwork in a gallery's collection carries a provenance record, giving collectors a verifiable history for each piece.
Gallery managers can view scan analytics, configure their commission settings, and track the exhibition history of works in their collection. When a gallery represents an artist on Tethered, the gallery is the billing party for that artist's participation.
An NFC tag is physically attached to the artwork at registration. When scanned with a smartphone, it shows the artwork's provenance, ownership history, and exhibition record as entered on the platform. Scans are logged with date and time. Location is recorded according to the scanner's choice at the time of scanning, precise if allowed, or a generalized approximate location if declined. Scanner identity is associated only for registered users taking certain actions; a casual public scan is not tied to a personal identity.
No. Tethered uses NFC-based authentication without any blockchain or cryptocurrency. Artists register their work, receive a physical NFC tag, and the platform manages authentication and provenance records.
Artists set their own resale royalty percentage when registering a work. Each time the artwork is resold through Tethered, the royalty is paid to the artist automatically. Transaction fees are collected from the buyer at purchase and from the seller at withdrawal, as disclosed at the time of the transaction.
Provenance is the documented history of an artwork's ownership, exhibition, and location over time. Tethered records ownership transfers, auctions, and NFC scans to build a durable provenance trail tied to the work and viewable by scanning its tag.
Tethered verifies the presence and integrity of a genuine Tethered tag and displays provenance information as entered by users. It is a verification and record-keeping tool, not a guarantee of the authenticity, attribution, condition, value, or legal title of any artwork. Tethered is not a party to transactions between users. Use of the platform is governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.