Mobile fingerprinting and provenance for physical art
The SmartStamp mobile app gives galleries and collectors a way to register, verify, and transfer artworks with cryptographic certainty. A scan session captures up to nine micro-detail surface readings and combines them into a tamper-evident fingerprint tied to the physical piece, which a paper certificate cannot reproduce.
The SmartStamp mobile app handles the physical side of artwork authentication. It walks the user through capturing surface scans, registers a fingerprint on the blockchain-backed backend, and produces a digital passport that travels with the work. When a piece changes hands, the transfer is confirmed by both parties in the app and the ownership record updates in real time, visible immediately in the web dashboard used by gallery staff.
Registering an artwork takes the user through four steps: a full overview photo, a close-up detail shot, selection of fingerprint points on the surface, and final submission to create a permanent record. Each fingerprint is a unique hash tied to the specific physical piece, not to a document or certificate that can be copied. The same flow works in reverse for verification: scan a QR code or enter a SmartStamp ID, compare the surface images, and confirm ownership details in seconds.
The artwork detail view combines everything in one place: the SmartStamp ID, ownership record, surface images, and any attached documents. The Images tab shows the overview photo, the close-up detail, and the individual fingerprint captures side by side, so any party can visually verify the work against the registered record without specialist equipment.
When a work changes hands, the transferring party enters the recipient's email and confirms. A final warning makes clear the action is permanent and irreversible. Once confirmed, the passport updates instantly and both parties receive a Postmark email with the transfer record. The complete prior ownership history is preserved in the chain.
Eight document types are supported: Certificate of Authenticity, Condition Report, Appraisal, Insurance, Ownership, Provenance Record, Restoration Report, and Other. Documents are attached to a specific artwork and stored in Firebase Storage. The Certificate of Authenticity is generated automatically from artwork metadata and is ready to download as a PDF, with no gallery software or external service required.
The home screen gives quick access to the four main actions: verify an artwork, create a new space, transfer ownership, or access more options. Spaces group artworks by collection or location, and the Transferred section tracks recent ownership changes. All data syncs from Firestore in real time, so gallery staff and collectors always see the same state.
Architecture
A single Flutter codebase targets iOS and Android from one source. Firebase handles real-time sync, authentication, and file storage. PostHog tracks product behaviour. Postmark delivers transactional email for ownership transfers and document sharing.
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| UI Framework | Flutter 3 / Dart |
| State Management | Riverpod |
| Authentication | Firebase Auth + Apple Sign-In |
| Database | Cloud Firestore |
| File Storage | Firebase Storage |
| Backend Functions | Firebase Cloud Functions (Node.js) |
| Analytics | PostHog |
| Transactional Email | Postmark |
| Platforms | iOS 16+ / Android 12+ |