diff --git a/frontend/src/semantic-search/model-test.ts b/frontend/src/semantic-search/model-test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74fee635
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/semantic-search/model-test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import { map } from 'lodash';
+
+import { startStore, endStore } from '../test-util';
+import mockOntology from '../mock-data/mock-ontology';
+
+import Model from '../core/model';
+import Collection from '../core/collection';
+import Graph from '../common-rdf/graph';
+import abstractDeepEqual from '../utilities/abstractDeepEqual';
+
+import { logic, filters } from './dropdown-constants';
+import SemanticQuery from './model';
+
+describe('semantic search model', function() {
+    beforeAll(startStore);
+    beforeAll(function() {
+        this.ontology = new Graph(mockOntology);
+        this.model = new SemanticQuery({
+            id: '1',
+            label: 'test 123',
+            query: new Model({
+                chain: new Collection([{
+                    range: this.ontology,
+                    assertion: true,
+                    selection: this.ontology.at(0),
+                }, {
+                    range: new Graph([this.ontology.at(0)]),
+                    precedent: this.ontology.at(0),
+                    selection: logic.get('logic:and'),
+                }, {
+                    range: new Graph([this.ontology.at(0)]),
+                    precedent: this.ontology.at(0),
+                    scheme: 'logic',
+                    action: 'and',
+                    branches: new Collection([{
+                        chain: new Collection([{
+                            range: new Graph([this.ontology.at(0)]),
+                            precedent: this.ontology.at(0),
+                            traversal: true,
+                            selection: this.ontology.at(3),
+                        }, {
+                            range: this.ontology,
+                            precedent: this.ontology.at(3),
+                            selection: filters.get('filter:isIRI'),
+                        }, {
+                            filter: filters.get('filter:isIRI'),
+                        }]),
+                    }, {
+                        chain: new Collection([{
+                            range: this.ontology,
+                            precedent: this.ontology.at(3),
+                            selection: filters.get('filter:equals'),
+                        }, {
+                            filter: filters.get('filter:equals'),
+                            value: 'https://example.example',
+                        }]),
+                    }]),
+                }]),
+            }),
+        });
+        const idOnlyOntology = this.ontology.map(m => ({ '@id': m.id }));
+        this.minimalJSON = {
+            id: '1',
+            label: 'test 123',
+            query: {
+                chain: [{
+                    range: idOnlyOntology,
+                    assertion: true,
+                    selection: idOnlyOntology[0],
+                }, {
+                    range: [idOnlyOntology[0]],
+                    precedent: idOnlyOntology[0],
+                    selection: { id: 'logic:and' },
+                }, {
+                    range: [idOnlyOntology[0]],
+                    precedent: idOnlyOntology[0],
+                    scheme: 'logic',
+                    action: 'and',
+                    branches: [{
+                        chain: [{
+                            range: [idOnlyOntology[0]],
+                            precedent: idOnlyOntology[0],
+                            traversal: true,
+                            selection: idOnlyOntology[3],
+                        }, {
+                            range: idOnlyOntology,
+                            precedent: idOnlyOntology[3],
+                            selection: { id: 'filter:isIRI' },
+                        }, {
+                            filter: { id: 'filter:isIRI' },
+                        }],
+                    }, {
+                        chain: [{
+                            range: idOnlyOntology,
+                            precedent: idOnlyOntology[3],
+                            selection: { id: 'filter:equals' },
+                        }, {
+                            filter: { id: 'filter:equals' },
+                            value: 'https://example.example',
+                        }],
+                    }],
+                }],
+            },
+        };
+    });
+    afterAll(endStore);
+
+    it('sends a lean representation to the backend', function() {
+        const json = this.model.toJSON();
+        expect(abstractDeepEqual(json, this.minimalJSON)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('can reconstruct the full representation from lean JSON', function() {
+        const parsed = this.model.parse(this.minimalJSON);
+        expect(abstractDeepEqual(parsed, this.model.attributes)).toBe(true);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/semantic-search/model.ts b/frontend/src/semantic-search/model.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e73a0a4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/semantic-search/model.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { pick, extend, map, mapValues, has, isArray, isObject } from 'lodash';
+
+import Model from '../core/model';
+import Collection from '../core/collection';
+import ldChannel from '../common-rdf/radio';
+import Graph from '../common-rdf/graph';
+
+import { logic, filters } from './dropdown-constants';
+
+function pruneResources(json: any): any {
+    if (!isObject(json)) return json;
+    if (isArray(json)) return map(json, pruneResources);
+    if (has(json, '@id')) return pick(json, '@id');
+    if (has(json, 'id')) return pick(json, 'id');
+    return mapValues(json, pruneResources);
+}
+
+function parseQuery(json: any, key?: string | number): any {
+    if (!isObject(json)) return json;
+    if (isArray(json)) {
+        const data = map(json, parseQuery);
+        if (key === 'range') return new Graph(data);
+        return new Collection(data);
+    }
+    if (has(json, '@id')) return ldChannel.request('obtain', json);
+    if (has(json, 'id')) {
+        return logic.get(json as Model) || filters.get(json as Model);
+    }
+    return new Model(mapValues(json, parseQuery));
+}
+
+export default class SemanticQuery extends Model {
+    toJSON(options?: any): any {
+        const json = super.toJSON(options);
+        return mapValues(json, pruneResources);
+    }
+
+    parse(json: any): any {
+        return mapValues(json, parseQuery);
+    }
+}