Research Inspired by the Getty Provenance Index

A component of Getty Provenance Index Initiative

Throughout the 40+ year existence of the Getty Provenance Index® (GPI), researchers from a diverse range of fields have used it to support groundbreaking research.

This page highlights key projects that have been directly informed by GPI data. From restitution efforts to major scholarly publications, these examples demonstrate the diverse applications of the GPI and aim to inspire future research.

We want to hear from you! Tell us how you are using GPI data by emailing the Getty Provenance Index Department.

Case Studies

Smarthistory: Lion on the Watch

The GPI and Smarthistory have partnered on a short video introducing the fundamentals of provenance research using archival sources. Featuring stock book entries from the dealer M. Knoedler & Co. (included in the GPI), along with letters from the Getty Research Institute’s special collections, the video traces the journey of Jean-Léon Gérôme’s Lion on the Watch (c. 1885) from the artist’s studio to its current home at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

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Exploring Provenance Through the GPI: Tracing Art

Multiple artworks arranged in a scattered mosaic

A new interactive experience allows users to explore how provenance research uncovers hidden connections across artists, collectors, and transactions.

For example, through GPI data, we can see that through art donations, bequests, and patronage, women played a much larger role in the formation of museum collections than previously thought. One such case is Caroline Fesler, who donated Willem Kalf's Still Life with a Chinese Porcelain Jar (1669) to the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields in 1945.

Discover the possibilities of the Getty Provenance Index

Reconstructing Art Ownership: The Case of Rubens' Entombment

Painting of wounded figure being held and supported by others on left, close up of painting on right with red circle around mark

(Left) The Entombment, ca. 1612, Peter Paul Rubens. Getty Museum, 93.PA.9 (Right) Inventory number identified in the painting

Through a search in the GPI, researchers successfully traced the ownership of The Entombment (ca. 1612) by Peter Paul Rubens. Originally acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1992, the painting’s provenance could only be verified as far back as the mid-19th century. However, researchers used the GPI Archival Inventories database to locate a 1651 inventory in the Archivo de la Casa de Alba, Madrid, which provided evidence of its earlier ownership by Gaspar de Haro Guzmán Carpio (1629–1687).

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Provenance and Restitution: Exposing the Spoils of War

Simon Goodman’s book The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family’s Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis (2015) tells a powerful story of reclaiming lost cultural heritage. As a result of extensive archival research using provenance sources in the Getty Research Institute's collections, such as sales catalogs in the GPI, Goodman traced and recovered hundreds of artworks that had been stolen from his family during World War II. Goodman held a lecture at Getty in 2017 about his research and book.

Read more about The Orpheus Clock

Select Publications Informed by the GPI

A number of significant publications have drawn upon GPI data to provide insights into the development of art markets, collecting patterns, and provenance research methodologies. Below are key books and articles that illustrate how the GPI has contributed to scholarship.

Money in the Air: Art Dealers and the Making of a Transatlantic Market, 1880–1930 (2024)

This publication examines the role of international dealers such as Knoedler & Co. and Goupil & Cie in shaping the transatlantic art market. Using GPI dealer stock books, the study traces their influence on collecting practices and market expansion.

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London and the Emergence of a European Art Market, 1780–1820 (2019)

This publication explores how London became a dominant art center after the French Revolution, using GPI auction records to trace major collectors, dealers, and sales trends that shaped the European art market.

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The Temporal Dimensions of the London Art Auction (1780–1835) (2016)

This article uses quantitative analysis and GPI auction catalog data to examine seasonal patterns in London’s 18th- and 19th-century art auctions. The study reveals how sales cycles influenced market behavior and collecting trends.

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Display of Art in the Roman Palace, 1550–1750 (2014)

Focusing on elite Roman residences, this study reconstructs how artworks were displayed within palatial interiors. Utilizing GPI archival inventories, scholars detail the ways in which art collections were curated to reflect social status and political influence.

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Provenance: An Alternate History of Art (2012)

This book investigates how provenance impacts the perception, value, and movement of artworks. Drawing attention to the recent transformations in the field of provenance and the resulting growth in digital resources such as the GPI that support this line of research, this book explores dealer transactions, restitution cases, and the evolving role of provenance in art history.

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GPI Publications Available at the Getty Library

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