Provenance (ownership history)

Provenance is an object’s ownership history. In art and antiques, research follows who owned or traded the object and when it changed hands. It is different from simply naming a maker or place of manufacture. The National Gallery explains provenance through historical descriptions, collection inventories, numbers on works and auction catalogues.

What can document the history?

Receipts, correspondence, collection records and labels may connect an object with a former owner or event. Getty Museum describes comparing archival sources with marks and inscriptions on the object itself. Record who supplied a family recollection and keep it separate from documented transfers. Leave missing links unresolved rather than inventing names or dates.

Practical example: A family photograph may show a particular painting hanging in a home at a certain time. It is a clue to consider alongside other information, not proof by itself of the artist’s identity or present value. Keep documents with an object inventory and photographs.

Buying and selling

Check how ownership history is described when examining art in the shop. To sell, send OBA photographs and relevant historical information. Documentation assists research but does not guarantee a particular price. Read more about Getty’s provenance research methods.