Original research · Dataset v1.0 · Snapshot 2026-09
How Accurately Can the Real Locations of Famous Paintings Be Identified?
This study audits the precision of every one of the 210 painting-location markers in the current PaintingLocations dataset. It distinguishes a supported exact viewpoint from a specific real subject and from a deliberately broad landscape marker.
Executive summary
Of 210 mapped artworks, 7 currently have independently verified artist viewpoints supported by museum or scholarly evidence beyond Wikidata. A further 10 are structured Wikidata viewpoint records awaiting that verification. The remaining works are mapped as identified real subjects or broader real landscapes, not as artist standpoints.
Precision distribution
“Exact”, “approximate” and “area” describe what the map marker claims — not a universal measure of a painting’s artistic accuracy.
What the markers represent
Read the plain-English classification methodology.
7 independently verified viewpoints
These records have a museum catalogue, scholarly source or comparable evidence supporting the viewpoint beyond the Wikidata record. The map shows these seven only.
- A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte — Georges Seurat; Ile de la Grande Jatte, Neuilly-sur-Seine (Seine bank, looking to Courbevoie). Evidence source
- Café Terrace at Night — Vincent van Gogh; Place du Forum, Arles (cafe terrace, NE corner). Evidence source
- Impression, Sunrise — Claude Monet; hotel room at 41-45 Grand-Quai, Le Havre, facing SE over the outer harbour. Evidence source
- Paris Street; Rainy Day — Gustave Caillebotte; rue de Moscou. Evidence source
- Summer Evening at Skagen Beach – The Artist and his Wife — Peder Severin Krøyer; Skagen. Evidence source
- The Church at Auvers — Vincent van Gogh; Notre-Dame d'Auvers-sur-Oise, from the Rue Daubigny. Evidence source
- View of Delft — Johannes Vermeer; Delft, seen from the south bank near the Kolk / Hooikade. Evidence source
10 additional structured viewpoint records
These A-class records are based on Wikidata P1259 and remain useful map leads, but do not yet meet this study’s independent-verification threshold. They are not described here as independently documented exact viewpoints.
All 17 A-class records
| Painting | Place | Evidence status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte Georges Seurat | Ile de la Grande Jatte, Neuilly-sur-Seine (Seine bank, looking to Courbevoie) | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| Café Terrace at Night Vincent van Gogh | Place du Forum, Arles (cafe terrace, NE corner) | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| East Wind Over Weehawken Edward Hopper | Weehawken | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| Impression, Sunrise Claude Monet | hotel room at 41-45 Grand-Quai, Le Havre, facing SE over the outer harbour | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| La Place des Pyramides, Paris (I) Giuseppe De Nittis | place des Pyramides | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| Midsummer Dance Anders Zorn | Morkarlby | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| Moscow courtyard Vasily Polenov | Moscow courtyard — viewpoint | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| Paris Street; Rainy Day Gustave Caillebotte | rue de Moscou | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| Paris, vu des hauteurs du Père Lachaise Louise-Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont | Paris | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| Summer Evening at Skagen Beach – The Artist and his Wife Peder Severin Krøyer | Skagen | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| The Avenue at Middelharnis Meindert Hobbema | The Avenue at Middelharnis — viewpoint | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| The Church at Auvers Vincent van Gogh | Notre-Dame d'Auvers-sur-Oise, from the Rue Daubigny | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| The Russian Ship of the Line "Asow" and a Frigate at Anchor in the Roads of Elsinore Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg | Kronborg Castle | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| The Vegetable Market in Amsterdam Gabriel Metsu | Amsterdam | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| View of Delft Johannes Vermeer | Delft, seen from the south bank near the Kolk / Hooikade | Independently verified | Museum or scholarly evidence |
| View on the Amstel from Amsteldijk Jacob van Ruisdael | Amstel | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
| Vue du canal Saint-Martin Alfred Sisley | Canal Saint-Martin | Structured record awaiting verification | Wikidata P1259 |
Methodology
The study includes only the current 210-work PaintingLocations mapped core. It derives counts from the same versioned snapshot available below. Source-derived facts include artwork identity, relations and many coordinates; PaintingLocations owns the semantic classification, precision label and independent-evidence distinction. Full definitions: location classification and evidence standards.
What this study does not claim
- It does not claim to measure every famous painting or every online painting-location map.
- It does not turn an identified building or landscape into a documented artist standpoint.
- It does not redistribute Wikimedia Commons images or OpenStreetMap geometry.
- It does not treat a Wikidata viewpoint assertion alone as independent verification.
Dataset, licence and citation
The downloadable snapshot records PaintingLocations’ original editorial classifications, precision labels and evidence-status assessment. It also contains source-derived factual fields with provenance. No blanket licence is asserted for this mixed-provenance snapshot. It does not relicense Wikidata, museum, Wikimedia Commons, OpenStreetMap or other source material: each source remains subject to its own terms. No Commons image file or OSM geometry is included.
PaintingLocations. “Painting Location Precision Study.” Painting Location Precision Dataset, v1.0, snapshot 2026-09. https://paintinglocations.com/data/painting-location-precision/
Sources
Structured source facts are drawn principally from Wikidata. The seven independently verified records link to their supporting museum or scholarly source above. PaintingLocations’ classifications and methodology are original editorial research; the source-derived facts retain their original provenance and applicable source terms.