The practice of provenance research has developed at a remarkable pace in recent decades, establishing guidelines for researching ownership histories, and the past twenty-five years have witnessed a flourishing of provenance initiatives. These are rooted in the scholarly turn towards “object biographies,” as well as the scrutiny of artworks and collections around the world by nation states, Indigenous communities, individual claimants, law enforcement agencies, and the press. This focus on provenance has been bolstered further by advances in digital technologies, including accessible digitized archives, data analysis, and open-access digital publications, which have not only transformed the speed and scale of conversations about the topic, but have also established new expectations and opportunities.
These trends provide a backdrop to the J. Paul Getty Museum’s restitutions of antiquities to Italy, Greece, and Türkiye. The returns have received close attention from academics and journalists alike, and the Museum has responded in a variety of ways, revising its acquisition policy and initiating a substantive review of its collections. The latter provides the impetus for this publication, over a decade in the making. While there are numerous guidelines from professional bodies regarding what should be published or purchased, as well as handbooks and reference sources that support provenance research, none are tailored specifically to Mediterranean antiquities—it is that gap that this book seeks to fill. It builds upon an ongoing Getty project that was initiated in 2012 to document the ownership histories of all objects in the Antiquities collection. The exceptional rapidity with which the collection developed—particularly in the 1970s and 80s—reflects the specific motivations and methods of its curators. In important aspects, however, it remains representative of similar antiquities collections formed during the twentieth century, offering insights into histories of taste, scholarship, and museum practice, as well as the market forces and individual actors whose legacies we have inherited. Curatorial staff have a duty of care to study and document every object as fully as possible, and the challenges that they continue to encounter have further highlighted the need to establish a robust program of provenance research at the Museum. Beyond the ownership histories that are now accessible online for every item in the Getty’s Antiquities collection, the provenance research project has reframed our department’s understanding of the institution, revealing previously untold stories about objects and the individuals who owned or encountered them, and fostering new directions for future study and collaboration. By gathering key resources, illustrative case studies, and effective research strategies, this open-access digital publication offers a constructive framework for others who are undertaking the essential work of provenance research.
I wish to thank the editors and contributors for this much-needed book, and to acknowledge the generous support of the Getty’s Villa Council throughout the course of the project. May this publication find the large audience and reception it deserves.
- Verena LepperAnissa and Paul John Balson II Senior Curator of AntiquitiesJ. Paul Getty Museum