Qest™ · in pilot development
Not a search engine. A quest engine.
SARVAH is building an identity- and evidence-centred Quest Engine. Qest turns fragmented records into traceable narratives — and helps you see which question is worth asking next.
Start with what you have
You do not need to know where to search.
An object
A painting, a piece of furniture, a manuscript, a family heirloom.
An image
A photograph of a work, a detail, a label or an inscription.
A document
A catalogue entry, an inventory, a letter, an archive reference.
A name
An artist, a collector, a dealer, a family, a place.
A question
“Where was this between 1910 and 1950?” “Who commissioned it?”
Retrieve results, or build an investigation
Search finds documents. A Quest connects them.
Search
- You start with
- the right keywords
- You get
- a list of matching documents
- Contradictions
- left for you to notice
- Missing evidence
- invisible
- What comes next
- another query
Quest
- You start with
- whatever you have
- You get
- a structured investigation, every claim linked to its source
- Contradictions
- shown side by side
- Missing evidence
- marked as an open question
- What comes next
- the next question worth pursuing
An example journey
What you learn — and what you ask next.
Starting point: a reproduction of Van Eyck’s Virgin and Child with Canon Joris van der Paele.
The frame speaks first
You learn that the inscription names the donor, a canon of St Donatian’s in Bruges, and the painter, with the dates 1434 and 1436.
The network appears
The donor leads to his chaplaincies and his church; the painting leads to Paris in 1794 and back to Bruges in 1816.
The sources are weighed
A specialist publication gives 1440 for the second chaplaincy; two Wikipedia articles give 1442 (no reference) and 1443 (citing Rothstein, 2005). Each date keeps its source; they are not treated as equal proofs.
The next question
Which primary record of St Donatian’s settles the date — and was the panel an epitaph or an altarpiece?
Illustration written from public sources to show the principle. It is not a recording of the Qest interface.
What you receive
A traceable narrative
The story of the object, each statement linked to its source.
An evidence map
The people, places, events and records involved, and how they connect.
Open questions
What remains unresolved, and why.
Next steps
Which archive, record or specialist could move the Quest forward.
Where Qest stands today
Honest about what exists.
Guided investigations
Selected cases investigated with the SARVAH team, producing structured research documents in which every claim cites its source.
The Qest interface
A self-service environment to open a Quest, follow the evidence and pursue new branches.
People who can help
With consent and clear access rules, directing an open question to a researcher, custodian, collector or descendant able to contribute.
Limits. Qest is in pilot development and available by invitation. Outputs may be incomplete and should be reviewed against the underlying evidence and expert judgement. Qest does not authenticate, value or certify works.