The World of Westloft Design, Interiors & Decorative Arts

Provenance

The documented history of an artwork or object's ownership and origin.

The definition

What is Provenance?

Provenance records an object's history through evidence such as ownership records, invoices, exhibition histories or other documentation. It can help assess attribution and context, but the strength of the evidence matters. A seller's description or an appealing story is not equivalent to a complete documented history.

The Westloft perspective

In the World of Westloft

Enjoy the story behind a piece while distinguishing verified facts from attribution or uncertainty. Keep the paperwork associated with purchases so that the collection's history remains useful.

Further exploration

Related collections

The lexicon