Derived from the French word provenir, meaning "to come from," provenance research involves tracing and documenting the ownership history of an object or work of art from its creation by the artist to the present. It relies on a physical examination of the object, as well as visual and textual documentation. The provenance includes information about the artwork's origin, previous owners, exhibitions, sales, and any other significant events or transactions related to its life.
An ideal provenance records owners' names, ownership dates, methods of transference, and the location where the work is kept. Unbroken records are rare, and most artworks contain gaps in provenance. Thus, provenance research can be challenging and time-consuming, and should be approached with persistence and attention to detail.
Provenance is an integral part of scholarly research at SLAM. The Provenance Project focuses on paintings in the Museum's collection that were purchased, sold, or created during the Nazi era, from 1933 to 1945. In recent years, SLAM has collaborated with museums worldwide to confirm, expand, and clarify the history of ownership of objects in their collections.
SLAM provenance inquiries can be sent to: provenance@slam.org.
Provenance is written chronologically from the earliest owner to the current owner. The Notes section follows this line of ownership and lists supporting citations, references, and supplemental information.
The dates reflect the beginning and ending dates of ownership of a particular collection. The documentation supports these dates and includes a hyphen to indicate the duration of time.
| 1955-1970 | The work was in this collection from 1955 to 1970. |
| 1955- | The work entered this collection in 1955, but we do not know when it left |
| -1955 | We do not know when the work entered this collection, but it left in 1955 |
| by 1955 | We know the work was in this collection by 1955, but it may have entered earlier. Can be combined with an ending date. |
| -still in 1955 | We know the work was still in this collection in 1955, but it may have left at a later date. Can be combined with a beginning date. |
| 1955 | The work was only in a collection for one year. Most frequently used with dealers. |
| 1955/06/25 | The work was purchased on this exact date or was offered at auction on this exact date. |
| c.1955 | We do not know the exact date, but sources indicate it was around 1955. |
| 1950s early 1950s mid-1950s late 1950s |
Decade formats when the exact date is unknown, but a partial decade can be identified. |
|
18th century late 18th century |
Century formats when the exact date is unknown, but a century or part of a century is known. |
| [blank date] | A collection name with no date indicates that we know the work was in this collection, but we do not know precisely when. We know the work was in this collection between the owners listed above and below, though there may be other unknown owners in the chain of ownership. |
The collection/owner line appears directly beneath each date and contains three types of information:
1. The name of the collection
2.The location(s) of the collection, if known
3. The means through which the work entered the collection, if known
Method of Transfer:
If known, the method by which the object entered the collection is entered after the name and location of the collection, separated with a comma. Some frequently used items include purchased from, given by, bequest of, commissioned by, acquired from, and by inheritance. Ownership history can consist of auction purchases, lengthy ownership within one family, dealers, galleries, agents, joint ownership, partial and promised gifts, works owned by the artist, excavations, confiscations, and institutions.
