Provenance is the historical record of ownership of a work of art or other cultural object. Ideally, a provenance record will include a record of owner's names, dates of ownership, patronage, institutional stewardship, and methods of transfer. Provenance research can be quite challenging due to incomplete or lost records.
Provenance research helps to establish a work's authenticity and/or determine a legitimate owner of a work of art. Provenance research is also important to understand the cultural context and history of the object. Knowing more about an object's patronage and ownership history helps us to understand the historical, social, and economic context in which artwork was created and collected.
Auction Catalogs record the sale of a work of art and may contain information about the date of sale, price of sale, names of buyers and sellers, and auction house. See the section below on auction records for suggested resources and databases.
Catalogues Raisonnés — compilation of the “complete works” or “oeuvre” of an artist — are important tools for researching the provenance and attribution of artwork. A Catalogue Raisonné will usually include a reproduction and full description of the artwork. It may also include an exhibition history and provenance history of each artwork, and sometimes a publication history. Not every artist will have a published Catalogue Raisonné, since they are expensive to produce and publish. The International Foundation for Art Research hosts a searchable database of all known published Catalogues Raisonnés. You can also consult the print copy of the Art Catalog Index, "A.C.I.: art catalogue index : catalogues raisonnés & critical catalogues of artists 1780-2008". To see if we have a Catalogue Raisonné in our library collection, search, UC Library Search by using the search terms 'raisonné' or 'complete works' + the artist's name (e.g. Whistler raisonne).
Exhibition Catalogs contain scholarly essays and high quality images. Exhibition catalogs also document the owner and location of an object at a specific time. Search in UC Library Search and include 'exhibition catalog' as a keyword.
Newspaper Articles can be useful when searching for current artists and exhibition reviews. Search in a newspaper database such as Proquest Major Daily Newspapers.
Art Monographs are books that focus on a particular artist or topic, and are often by a single author. Search by author, title, keyword, or subject in UC Library Search.
Though one must subscribe to buy, sell and research fine art via Artnet , it allows access to information on the 1,300 galleries, 36,000 works (limited image access) and 13,000 primarily contemporary artists it represents. It also provides a directory of U.S., International, and virtual museums, exhibition and book reviews, museum and art fair schedules, international auction results, artist biographies, and a free newsletter. For easiest navigation, use the Site Map, which can be located by placing the cursor on the "Home" icon.
Fee-based online resource with coverage of the fine arts 1700-present. With a subscription, you can search among 11,232,100 artworks listed by 6,300 auction houses since 1962.
askART provides access to artists' profiles, images, literature references, biographies, auction records, art for sale and art wanted, essays on important art movements, and statistics on the markets. Millions of auction records and results (from 1987+). 300,000+ worldwide artists.
Over 190,000 entries on artists from antiquity to the present. Searchable via Oxford Art Online along with Grove Art Online, The Concise Dictionary of Art Terms, etc. Benezit includes auction records, museum holdings, and bibliographies; it features entries on many obscure artists as well as artists' signatures, monograms and stamps of sale.
Subscription art price database with millions of auction records dating back to 1922 from over 1400 auction houses. Artist indices for sold paintings only, including sold price, volume, estimate and other attributes.
Based in San Francisco, Butterfields offers free photo appraisals as well as formal appraisals and consignments. Founded in 1793, Bonhams is one of Britain's largest fine art and antique auction house operating across all sectors of the fine art, antiques and collectibles market, etc. Offers sales advice and valuation services.
Since 1766, Christie's auction house, with locations in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, covers the fine arts, antiquities, American Indian and tribal art, Asian and Islamic art, furniture and decorative arts, the collectibles market, books and manuscripts, photographs and prints, etc.; it also offers appraisals and evaluations.
Getty Provenance Index Databases
More than 2.3 million records taken from source material such as archival inventories (1550-1840), auction catalogs (1650-1945), and dealer stock books.
IFAR: International Foundation for Art Research
Includes information on art law and cultural property; database of published and in-progress catalogues raisonnés; provenance research guide; and news about the art market and with stolen art alerts.
Invaluable: The World’s Premier Auctions
Invaluable (formerly Artfact) is the world’s largest online auction marketplace of fine and decorative arts, antiques, collectibles, and estate sales. Search and buy from over 160,000 auctions annually. Includes more than 57 million complete auction results, plus information on more than 500,000 international artists.
Online edition of Lugt's Repertoire des Catalogues de Ventes Publiques, fN8650.L8, v.1-4, (Art History/Classics Library), listing over 60,000 art sales catalogues dated 1600-1900 from libraries in Europe and the US. The catalogues provide information on the provenance of art objects, the history of collecting, and historical market trends. Numerous catalogues have been added to the original work and corrections made. Searchable by Lugt number, date, place, provenance, and auction house.
Montias Database of 17th Century Dutch Art Inventories
Compiled by late Yale University Professor John Michael Montias, contains information from 1,280 inventories of goods (paintings, prints, sculpture, furniture, etc.) owned by people living in 17th century Amsterdam. Provides detailed information on the 51,071 individual works of art listed. Search by artist, types of objects (painting, prints, drawings), subject matter etc. Extensive information on the owners, buyers and prices paid when the goods were actually in a sale.
MutualArt offers access to auction prices, personalized updates, and data on over 500,000 artists
Gateway to art research and access point for Oxford art reference resources, including Grove Art Online, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
London based Sotheby's, founded in 1744, with offices throughout the world, covers all areas of the fine and decorative arts. Provides appraisals; auction estimates; restoration; and, repairs.
University of California, Santa Barbara, Arts Library
The UCSB Arts Library has a collection of over 95,000 exhibition, collection, and sales catalogs.
The Provenance Research Handbook
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AAM Guide to Provenance Research
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Provenance: an alternate history of art
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