DEFINITION
The provenance or history of the owners of a work of art, architecture,
or group from its creation to the present. This includes the means by which
a work passed from one owner to the next, an identification of any public
sales involving the work or the names of any agents who aided the transfer
of ownership, and the names of any dealers who handled the work or included
it in their inventories. If
a work has been lost, stolen, or destroyed, or has otherwise vanished from
public view, this fact should also be indicated here.
SUBCATEGORIES
GENERAL
DISCUSSION
This
category records what is known as provenance in the museum community;
it includes the history of all the people who have owned the work from
its creation until the present, and the places where it has been located.
The present custodian of the object/work is recorded in CURRENT LOCATION.
Note that it is common to have lacunae in the provenance.
Provenance is recorded in order to trace the history of a work of art
or architecture after its creation, and if possible to document
legal title to a work at any particular time. The study of
provenance in the museum community, particularly as it relates
to the whereabouts of works for the Nazi era and World War
II (1933-1945), is discussed in several publications.[1]
This category may also be used to record the history of possession
of the work of art or architecture, even if the person or
corporate body was not the owner per se (e.g., the resident
or occupant of a building).
Researchers
are also interested in the provenance of works for a variety of other
reasons. Provenance information is of great interest to scholars seeking
to establish the whereabouts of a work at a given point or over time.
Provenance establishes when a work was in a particular place, making it
possible for researchers to discern whether it might have been seen by
or have influenced others. A history of ownership also provides information
about when possible interventions in the physical condition of a work,
such as restoration, reformatting, remounting, changes, or additions,
may have taken place. It provides insight into the activity of a collector
or dealer, and makes it possible to establish patterns in collecting.
Changing patterns in collecting illustrate the relative value of
works of art, both as specific objects and as representatives of a style
or period. This kind of information can enhance the understanding of the
history of taste. A clear provenance can be used to establish the authorship
of a work, or to link it to other related works. An illustrious provenance
may enhance a work's value or interest. An early or unbroken provenance
may attest to its authenticity.
A
record of the history of a work's ownership is also useful in examining
the formation of museum collections and in studying collection policies
and de-accessioning practices. It may also illuminate how changes in laws,
such as those governing taxes, influence the patronage of public collections.
The
owner of a work on long-term loan to a public institution may be identified
as either the lender or the custodian of the object, depending on local
practice and/or the terms of the loan. Note that many private owners prefer
not to be identified, or may specify only a limited designation, such
as Private Collection, New York. This desire for privacy and security
must be respected.
When
works are in public collections, information on their provenance may be
available from the current owner. It may also appear in up-to-date collection
catalogs or catalogues raisonnés. When
a work is in a private collection, for security reasons this information
may be limited or unavailable. The history of ownership of a lost, stolen,
or destroyed work may be based on published or unpublished sources, including
newspapers, annotations in auction catalogs, letters, and other documents.
Provenance
history rarely exists ready at hand and often must be reconstructed from
a variety of sources. Dates of ownership are often extrapolated from other
information, such as the life dates of a particular owner, or the date
on which a work is recorded in another owner's collection. Old inventories,
wills, correspondence, credit lines in exhibition catalogs, auction or
sale catalogs, newspaper accounts, oral testimony, and dealers' stockbooks
may provide clues. Inscriptions or marks on the work itself, and labels
attached to it, may also provide information about previous owners of
a work. It may also be possible to identify the owner of a work from evidence
integral to the object itself, such as a distinctive mat, mount, or numbering
system. For example, the coat of arms of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg
appears on folio 1 of a prayerbook [Figure
7], so it is logical to assume that he is the one who commissioned
the work. Clues to the history of ownership may also be found in published
works, including indexes to sales, such as Frits Lugt, Répertoire
des catalogs des ventes publiques..., and those cited elsewhere in
the description, such as exhibition or permanent collection catalogs.[2]
Sometimes works are known by the name of a current or previous owner,
such as the Prayerbook of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg
[Figure 7] or the Lansdowne Herakles [Figure
5], which was in the collection of the Marquess of Lansdowne until
1951.
RELATED
CATEGORIES and ACCESS
Information
in OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING HISTORY should be repeated in other pertinent
subcategories in the following instances: Record the current repository
of a work in CURRENT LOCATION. Information about the commission of a work
of art should be included in the CREATION category. Significant events
or places associated with the work after its creation should be noted
in CREATION - PLACE/ORIGINAL LOCATION or CONTEXT - HISTORICAL/CULTURAL.
Surrogate images or reproductions available from the present owner of
a work should be included in RELATED VISUAL DOCUMENTATION. The place where
a work was excavated, and other information about the archaeological site
where it was discovered, should be noted in CONTEXT - ARCHAEOLOGICAL.
If the owner of the work is also the sitter in a portrait, record him
or her in SUBJECT MATTER - IDENTIFICATION.
Collectors'
marks or labels may be described and transcribed in INSCRIPTIONS/MARKS.
Their presence and significance should be described here in OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING
HISTORY. Alternate attributions should be included in the category CREATION.
The association of an attribution to a particular owner should be noted
in OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING HISTORY and discussed in OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING
HISTORY - REMARKS. The place where a work was manufactured or made should
be specified in CREATION - PLACE.
It should be possible, for example, to locate all the works in a particular
collection, or to answer questions such as "What works, now in American
collections, were owned by the eighteenth-century Venetian collector Padre
Resta?" It may also be useful to identify all works that are or were in
a particular place. Varying levels of specificity should be supported
either by the use of a hierarchical thesaurus or by including broader
geographical entities. Queries may be qualified by date, in order to identify,
for example, all works in London between 1700 and 1780 depicting a particular
iconographical subject. A scholar interested in the commerce of art may
wish to have access to ownership information by the type of transaction
(e.g., a bequest or a gift). A study of the critical reception
and history of a work, artist, or movement might be enhanced by a comparison
of prices or values overtime.
23.1. Provenance Description
DEFINITION
The prose description of the provenance or history of the
owners or others in possession of a work of art or architecture,
or a group.
EXAMPLES
before 1835, Sant'Agostino (San Gimignano, Italy);
before 1846, Cardinal Fesch [1763-1839] collection (Rome, Italy).
then to Campana collection;
1863-present, Musée du Louvre (Paris, France)[3]
prior to late 1920s, Kung family (Peking, China).
late 1920s, Peking Palace Museum.
early 1930s, Sir Percival David [1892-1964] collection (London, England).
1977-present, Metropolitan Museum (New York, New York, USA)[4]
1426-late 16th century, commissioned from the artist by Ser
Giuliano di Colino di Pietro degli Scarsi di San Giusto,
(Santa Maria del Carmine, Pisa, Italy).
by 1892, Adolph Bayersdorfer [1842-1901](Munich, Germany);
possibly 1892-1933, sold to Count Karol Lanckoronski [1848-1933](Vienna,
Austria);
1933-1939, by inheritance to his daughter, Karolina Lanckoronski [1898-2002](Vienna,
Austria), another daughter, and a stepson ;
1939-1945, looted by the Nazis, in the possession of the Nazis (Schloss
Stiesberg, near Wiener-Neustadt, Austria);
1945-1979, restituted to Karolina Lanckoronski [1898-2002](Zürich,
Switzerland) and two other Lanckoronski children;
1979, Karolina Lanckoronski through (Heim Gallery, London, England);
1979-present, sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, California,
USA)[5]
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the work's successive owners
(or those who had possession of the work), from the first
owner to the present, if known. The names of ancillary individuals
or firms (agents, dealers, auction houses, consignees) which,
while not technically owners, played a role in the transfer
of the object from one owner to another, may also be included.
Include notes on the relationship of one owner to another
if this elucidates the chain of ownership. Indicate if information
about the provenance or ownership of a work is speculative
or uncertain.
Form and syntax[6]
List the owners in chronological order, from the earliest known owner
until the present. Include the following information if known for each
Owner/Agent: the dates of their ownership, the names of the owners, the location
where the object was located, and the means by which the work passed from
one owner to another. Include the life dates of the owners, if known,
in brackets. Enclose the names of dealers, auction houses, or agents in
parentheses to distinguish them from private owners.
Note
lacunae in the provenance: use a semicolon to indicate that the work passed
directly between two owners (including dealers, auction houses, or agents);
use a period to separate two owners (including dealers auction houses
or agents) if a direct transfer did not occur or is not known to have
occurred. Indicate uncertain information with possibly, probably,
or a question mark. Indicate methods of transfer with sold, by descent,
by inheritance, given, and other terms as necessary. Use REMARKS to
document or clarify information, including any lacunae in the known chain
of ownership. Use CITATIONS to cite published or unpublished sources for
the information.
Information may be extrapolated from other evidence, rather than specifically
derived from source documents. This is often the case with works that
have been lost, stolen, or destroyed. A clear indication of the degree
of certainty of the information and the basis for it is essential.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field. If retrieval
is required on provenance information, index this information in the pertinent
controlled subcategories elsewhere in the record.
RELATED
CATEGORIES and ACCESS
Index information about the provenance in the other subcategories of OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING
HISTORY. It is highly recommended to record the sources of the information
in CITATIONS. Transcribe source information as necessary in REMARKS; this
is particularly important for unpublished sources, such as inventories
and letters.
23.1.1. Acquisition Description
DEFINITION
The prose description of the most recent owner or location of the work, prior to acquisition by the current owner or repository.
EXAMPLE
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the last owner or location of the work. This would be the most recent entry in a Provenance Description. It may be repeated in Credit Line.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field. If retrieval
is required on information in this field, index the information in the pertinent
controlled subcategories elsewhere in the record.
23.2. Transfer Mode / Method of Acquisition
DEFINITION
The
means by which a work entered the collection of a particular individual
or corporate body.
EXAMPLES
commission
gift
donation
bequest
endowment
purchase
auction
exchange
transfer
loan
rental
consignment
collection of artist
original owner
field collected
lost
destroyed
stolen
confiscated
looted
unknown
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional:
Record a term or terms describing the method of transfer between one owner
and the other. Use lower case.
Since
the ownership of a work can be transferred in many different ways, it
is important to record how a certain individual or corporation came into
possession of a work. It should also be indicated here if a work has been
lost, stolen, or destroyed. Categorizing the method of transfer makes
it possible to distinguish between varying types of acquisitions, thus
enhancing the study of the history of collecting. It may be possible to
establish the acquisition method definitively, based on a published document,
such as a sale catalog. Published and unpublished documents, including
sales catalogs, bills of sale, wills, and letters, may provide information
on the transfer of a work. The means by which a work passed from one person
to another may have to be extrapolated from other information about ownership,
or may not be known.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled
list: Control this subcategory with a controlled list derived
from terms in the Examples above and other terms as necessary. Use the
AAT (especially the Events, Functions,
and Physical Activities hierarchies) to find additional terminology.
23.3. Cost or Value
DEFINITION
The
monetary value of a work in a specific currency at the time of transfer
of ownership. This can be either a purchase price or an evaluation.
EXAMPLES
around
$500,000 US
documented as £1500
probably 50-55 gold
florins
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the fee or other compensation paid when
the work was transferred from one owner to the other. Include the amount,
the currency, the type of transaction, and the type of payment, if applicable.
Since historical currencies are difficult to convert into modern ones,
it is important to record the value as it is found in documentation; however,
a conversion into modern equivalents may also be included. Express uncertainty or ambiguity here; evaluations
or estimations may be expressed as a range.
Note
that the cost or value is often considered confidential information, especially
in relation to a contemporary acquisition by a museum, gallery, or private
collector.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This is not a controlled field. Even though
this is a free-text field, the use of consistent format and controlled
terminology is recommended for clarity.
23.3.1. Valuation
DEFINITION
An expression of the value for display.
EXAMPLES
1000 Belgian Francs
£1500
48,000 yen
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a display form for the value of the work, including currency and amount when
the work was transferred from one owner to the other.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This is not a controlled field.
23.3.1.1. Valuation Amount
DEFINITION
The numerical amount expressed in Valuation.
EXAMPLES
1000
110,000
48,000
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record whole numbers or decimal fractions represented in the Valuation.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Whole numbers or decimal fractions only.
23.3.1.2. Currency Unit
DEFINITION
The type of currency expressed in Valuation.
EXAMPLES
United States dollar
Florentine florin
South Korean won
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the type of currency noted in Valuation.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Use abbreviations or terms consistently. Use an authority, such as the AAT; use the narrower context terms for AAT 300411993 currencies (systems of money). Abbreviations may be used (e.g., FRF rather than French franc), however, note that if historical currencies are included in the data base, there may not be standard abbreviations.
23.4. Legal Status
DEFINITION
The
legal status of the work.
EXAMPLES
public
property
scheduled property
registered property
national treasure
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional:
Record the legal status of the work or art or architecture.[7]
Note that the legal status of a work may change over time. Use lower case
terminology, unless the term includes a proper name.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled
list: Control this subcategory with a controlled list derived
from terms in the Examples above and other terms as necessary.
23.5. Owner/Agent
DEFINITION
The name of an individual or corporate body (institution,
agency, or group) that owned or was in possession of the work
of art or architecture, or served as an agent or intermediary
in its transfer from one owner to another.
EXAMPLES
Mellon,
Paul
Contini-Bonacossi, Alessandro, Count
Bing, S.
Catherine II of Russia
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Arundel
National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC)
Santa Maria Novella (Florence, Italy)
M. Knoedler & Co.
Christie, Manson and Woods, Ltd.
Sueca Family
private collection
unknown
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the name of the individual,
group, or corporate body that owned or had possession of the
work or group during the specified period of time.
Form and syntax
Ideally, this should be a link to the PERSON/CORPORATE BODY
AUTHORITY, where a full record containing the owner's variant
names and biographical information will be stored and available
for retrieval. See the PERSON/CORPORATE BODY AUTHORITY for
guidelines in constructing personal names.
Usually
this subcategory will contain a personal or corporate name. If a work
had multiple owners during one period of ownership, there may be multiple
owners indexed for this period. This situation may occur with married
couples or with other individuals or corporations that hold joint ownership
of an object or group of objects. For example, the Third Duke of Bridgewater,
the Fifth Earl of Carlisle, and the Second Earl of Gower together purchased
pictures from the Orléans Collection from the dealer Michael Bryan
in London in 1798.
Indicate
an anonymous private collection by using the term private collection.
Express uncertainty and nuance regarding the owner in OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING
HISTORY - DESCRIPTION. Use the term unknown to indicate periods
when the owner or whereabouts of the work was unknown.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Control this subcategory with the PERSON/CORPORATE
BODY AUTHORITY, which can be populated from the controlled vocabularies
named below. An authority with hierarchical structure, cross referencing,
and synonymous names is recommended.
Published sources of vocabulary and biographical information
include the following: LC Name Authorities, ULAN, Canadiana
Authorities, and Yale British Artists. Consult AACR for general
guidelines regarding the formatting of names.
23.5.1. Owner/Agent Role
DEFINITION
The role played by an individual or corporate body with regard
to the ownership, possession, or transfer of ownership of
a work.
EXAMPLES
owner
dealer
auction house
agent
occupant
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the owner's or other agent's
role in relation to a particular transaction in the transfer
of the work. Use lower case.
Specifying
roles makes it possible to distinguish between owners (who hold legal
title to the work), agents or auction houses (which do not hold legal
title to the work), and dealers or commercial galleries (which may or
may not hold title, but which own the work for commercial purposes). The
role of an owner or agent in a work's provenance is seldom cited explicitly
in documents, but can often be discerned from biographical or historical
sources.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Control this subcategory with
a controlled list: owner, dealer, auction house, agent,
and other terms as necessary. Use the AAT (especially Agents
facet), the Dictionarium Museologicum, and other published
sources.
RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS
Record the person's or corporate body's life roles (e.g.,
businessman, count, museum) in the PERSON/CORPORATE
BODY AUTHORITY.
23.6. Ownership Place
DEFINITION
The
place where the work was housed while in the possession of a particular
owner.
EXAMPLES
- Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Palm Beach (Florida, United States)
- 5 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea (London, England, United Kingdom)
- Boadilla del Monte (Spain)
- Badger Hall (Shropshire, England, United Kingdom)
- Washington (DC, United States)
- Styria Studios (Glendale, California, United States)
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional:
Record the name of the place of ownership. The location may be
unknown or uncertain; it may be known at various levels of specificity.
If an explanation regarding the place of ownership is necessary (e.g.,
using the terms probably or possibly), explain it in the
OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING HISTORY - DESCRIPTION.
Form and syntax
For guidelines regarding the syntax and format of place names,
see the CURRENT LOCATION category and the PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY.
Note
that an individual owner may have more than one residence, and corporations
may also have many places of business. In such cases, record either the
owner's principal residence or a corporation's head office or index all
possible locations where the work may have been located while under the
care of this owner. For an auction house, gallery, or dealer, note the
location of the branch that made the sale.
While
it is not always possible to establish specifically where a work was held,
location should be recorded as precisely as possible. Places could be
identified as specifically as the name of a particular building or street
address, such as Buckingham Palace (London, England, United Kingdom)
or Monticello (Albemarle county, Virginia, USA). It is also possible
that scholarship can only place a work in a particular country or area,
without a more precise location being known.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Control this subcategory with the PLACE/LOCATION
AUTHORITY, which can be populated with terminology from the
TGN, NGA (NIMA) and USGS, Canadiana_Authorities, LC Name Authorities
and LCSH.
23.7. Ownership Date
DEFINITION
The period of time during which the work belonged to or was
in the possession of a particular owner or agent.
EXAMPLES
1940-1949
by 1848-ca. 1880
17 June 1955 - November or December 1956
26 May 1991
after 1640
from 1348
14th-18th centuries
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a year, a span of years, or
a phrase that describes the specific or approximate date associated
with the ownership or possession of the work. Include nuance
and expressions of uncertainty, as necessary.
Form and syntax
Follow rules for display dates in CREATION - CREATION DATE.
The date of a particular ownership may be unknown or known only as an
approximate date within a span. In
some instances, both the date of acquisition and the date of disposition
will be documented. In other cases, only dates such as the owner's life
dates may be known. A publication or document may place a work in an owner's
possession by a certain date, without specifying when it entered that
collection. A clear distinction must be made between firmly documented
dates and those established or extrapolated by reference to other parameters,
such as the owner's life dates, the dates of ownership of the previous
owner, or the dates of an exhibition or publication in which a named individual
is listed as owner.
For
lost or stolen works, the date of the disappearance should be indicated.
For works that have been destroyed, the date of their destruction should
be specified.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text:
This is not a controlled field. Maintain consistent capitalization,
punctuation, and syntax where possible. Index the dates in the controlled
EARLIEST and LATEST DATE subcategories.
23.7.1. Earliest Date
DEFINITION
The earliest possible date when the work belonged to or was
in the possession of a particular owner or agent.
EXAMPLES
1940
1848
1971-12-23
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the earliest year when a particular
owner or agent had control of the work, as indicated in the
OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING HISTORY - DATE.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. Record the precise day and time,
if possible. Use the following syntax: YYYY-MM-DD (year, month,
day, separated by dashes), if possible. (The standards suggest
alternate possibilities: you may use an alternative syntax
if you are consistent and it is compliant with the standards.)
It is optional to record EARLIEST DATE; however, if you record
a value here, you must also record LATEST DATE. For additional
rules, see CREATION - CREATION DATE - EARLIEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be formatted consistently
to allow retrieval. Local rules should be in place. Suggested formats
are available in the ISO Standard and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International Organization
for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange Formats. Information
Interchange. Representation of Dates and Times. Geneva, Switzerland:
International Organization for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
23.7.2. Latest Date
DEFINITION
The latest possible date when the work belonged to or was
in the possession of a particular owner or agent.
EXAMPLES
1949
1885
1971-12-23
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the latest year when a particular
owner or agent had control of the work, as indicated in the
OWNERSHIP/COLLECTING HISTORY - DATE.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. Record the precise day and time,
if possible. Use the following syntax: YYYY-MM-DD (year, month,
day, separated by dashes), if possible. (The standards suggest
alternate possibilities: you may use an alternative syntax
if you are consistent and it is compliant with the standards.)
It is optional to record LATEST DATE; however, if you record
a value here, you must also record EARLIEST DATE. For additional
rules, see CREATION - CREATION DATE - LATEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be formatted consistently
to allow retrieval. Local rules should be in place. Suggested formats
are available in the ISO Standard and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International Organization
for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange Formats. Information
Interchange. Representation of Dates and Times. Geneva, Switzerland:
International Organization for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
23.8. Owner's Numbers
DEFINITION
Any
numbers assigned to a work by a specific owner or by an agent in its transfer
of ownership.
EXAMPLES
DR 1989:0001
JP49739
1988.00017.0013
NK 12/62
q60
Pall. XXIII, fol.1
83.AE.362
plate 12
item 134
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the object identification used by a specific
owner or during transfer. Numbers may have prefixes or suffixes that are
vital to their meaning.
Identification
numbers are frequently affixed to or inscribed directly on the object.
They also appear in museum catalogs, owners' lists, inventories, and other
primary sources. Occasionally, identification numbers can be found in
secondary literature, such as exhibition catalogs and catalogues raisonnés.
Identification
numbers are often accession numbers, assigned by museums and composed
of multiple parts (e.g., PA-1987.56.98.1). These can include the
year of acquisition, the number of the acquisition within that year, and
the number of the item within the acquisition. Ideally, there is no duplication
in accession numbers within a single museum; however, this is not always
the case, especially in older collections. A single object may have multiple
accession numbers (for example, when fragments of an object are acquired
at different times).
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free
text: The format of the number will vary depending on its type
and source. Types of numbers or the roles numbers play may in some cases
be described with terms from a controlled vocabulary such as the Dictionarium
Museologicum.
23..8.1. Number Type
DEFINITION
The
type of number assigned to a work by a specific owner or by an agent in
its transfer of ownership.
EXAMPLES
accession number
collection number
registration number
location symbol
collector's number
identification number
object identification
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a term describing the type of number, if
known. Use lower case.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled
list : Control this subcategory with a controlled list, using
the terms in Examples above, and others as necessary.
23.9. Owner's Credit Line
DEFINITION
A
formal public statement about the ownership, transfer of ownership, acquisition,
source, or sponsorship of the acquisition of a work, suitable for use
in a display label or publication.
EXAMPLES
- Rogers Fund, 1919 (19.164)
- Purchase, William H. Riggs Gift and Rogers Fund, 1919
(19.131.1, 2)
- Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.173a, b)
- Gift of the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc. 484.1976.4
- Gift of the Collectors Committee
- Samuel H. Kress Collection
- Given in Loving Memory of Gert Smithrion
- Bequest of James W. Toolhand
- U. S. Army Corps Collection
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the owner's formal statement indicating
how the work came into the collection. Include information
such as an acknowledgment of the acquisition fund, or the
name of the specific collection to which a work belongs within
a larger museum context.
Form and syntax
Capitalize proper names. Otherwise, record the statement verbatim.
This
subcategory provides an approved text that can be used when publishing
a work, or included on an exhibition label. In general, the credit line
cites the name of a benefactor who assisted with the acquisition of the
work. The text of the credit line is often written in consultation with
the benefactor. The credit line is often displayed with basic tombstone
information about the work (artist name, title of the work, creation date,
media, measurements, name of repository), the accession number, and a
copyright statement.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This is not a controlled field. Transcribe the
credit line verbatim as expressed by the owner.
23.10. Remarks
DEFINITION
Additional notes or comments pertinent to information in this category.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a note containing additional
information related to this category. Use consistent syntax
and format. For rules regarding writing notes, see DESCRIPTIVE
NOTE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
23.11. Citations
DEFINITION
A reference to a bibliographic source, unpublished document, or individual
opinion that provides the basis for the information recorded
in this category.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the source used for information
in this category. For a full set of rules for CITATIONS, see
RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Ideally, this information is controlled
by citations in the citations authority; see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES.
23.11.1. Page
DEFINITION
Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any
other information indicating where in the source the information
was found.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: For a full set of rules for PAGE,
see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS - PAGE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
EXAMPLES
[example
of a relatively short provenance statement]
Ownership/Collecting History:[8]
descended through eight generations in the family of John Tufts [1754-1839]
(Sherborn, Massachusetts, USA).
by 1921, Wallace Nutting [1861-1941] (Framingham, Massachusetts, USA);
1921-1951, Mrs. J. Insley Blair [died 1951] (Tuxedo Park, New York, USA);
1951-present, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, New York, USA).
[example of a longer provenance statement]
Ownership/Collecting
History:[9]
from 1783, commissioned by the Infante Don Luis de Borbón
[1727-1785] (Palace of Arenas de San Pedro, near Avila, Spain);
from 1785, by inheritance to his daughter, the sitter María
Teresa de Borbón [1779-1828] (Palace at Boadilla del Monte,
near Madrid);
from 1828, by inheritance to her only child, Carlota Luisa de Godoy y
Borbón [1800-1886], Condesa de Chinchón, Duquesa de Alcudia
y de Sueca, Boadilla del Monte, in whose possession it was recorded in
1867 and 1886;
from 1886, by inheritance to her son, Adolfo Ruspoli [1822-1914], Duque
de Sueca, Conde de Chinchón;
1914, possibly purchased by the family at his (liquidation sale, Paris,
7 February 1914);
his daughter, Maria Teresa Ruspoli y Alvarez de Toledo, wife of Henri-Melchior
Cognet Chappuis, Comte de Maubou de la Roue (Paris, France);
by 1951, her nephew, Don Camilo Carlos Adolfo Ruspoli y Caro [1904-1975],
Conde de Chinchón, Duque de Alcudia y de Sueca (Madrid, Spain).
by March 1957, sold by the family, (Wildenstein & Co., New York, New
York, USA);
2 March 1959, purchased by Ailsa Mellon Bruce (New York, New York, USA);
1970-present, gift to National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC, USA)
[example where indications of uncertainty are used, e.g., possibly,
probably, question mark]
Ownership/Collecting History:[10]
before 1648-?, possibly Monseigneur de Housset, French ambassador to Venice
(France; Italy).
to 1777, probably Pierre Louis Paul Randon de Boisset, [died 1776] (Paris,
France).
1777, Chariot.
1777-?, Lebrun.
probably after 1860, Sir Francis Cook, 1st Baronet [1817-1901] (England).
by 1903-1920, Sir Frederick Lucas Cook, 2nd Baronet [died 1920] (England).
1920-still in 1932, by inheritance to Sir Herbert Frederick Cook, 3rd
Baronet [died 1939] (England).
to 1948, Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi [died 1951] (Florence, Italy);
1948-1961, Samuel H. Kress Foundation (New York, New York, USA);
1961-present, accessioned 09 December 1961 by Seattle Art Museum (Seattle,
Washington, USA)
[example with a citation for an unpublished source included]
Ownership/Collecting History:[11]
before 1927, Frits Lugt [1884-1970] (Amsterdam, Netherlands).
1927, with (Van Diemen, Berlin, Germany). Private collection (southern
Germany).
1930, with (Vitale and Bloch, Berlin). 1932, Dresden Gallery,
1932.
ca. 1935, Frits Haussmann (Berlin, Germany).
1948-1949, with (Jacob M. Heimann, New York, New York, USA);
1949-present, purchased 1949 by Anne R. and Amy Putnam for the Fine Art
Society (now San Diego Museum of Art) (San Diego, California, USA)
Citation: SDMA curatorial files, Jacob M.
Heimann correspondence to Reginald Poland, April 8, 1948.
[example with a notation of the price paid, e.g., ducats and franks]
Ownership/Collecting History:[12]
1838, painted in 1838 for Mathias Feldmüller the Younger), wood merchant
(Vienna, Austria) for 80 ducats.
from ca. 1852, sold ca. 1852 to Jakob Fellner (Vienna, Austria); 1871,
(his collection sale, Vienna, P. Kaeser, 14-15 December 1871 (lot 9));
from 1871, sold 1871 for ƒ800 to Löscher, a Viennese
dealer.
by 1927, Baron Franz Wertheimer (Vienna, Austria); His heirs, United States.
1991, bought by (Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna, Austria);
1991-present, purchased 1991 by the Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland,
Ohio, USA)
Citation: According to annotated sales catalogue
in the Netherlands Institute for Art History, The Hague.
[example for architecture, without a free-text statement]
Owner/Agent: Martin, Darwin D. Role:
owner
Owner/Agent: Martin, Isabelle Role:
occupant
Owner/Agent: Martin House Restoration Corporation
Role: owner
[example for architecture, including status as national
treasure]
Owner/Agent: Akamatsu Sadanori Role: owner
Date: from 1346 Earliest:
1346 Latest: 1400
Owner/Agent: Hideyoshi Role: owner
Date: after 1577 Earliest:
1577 Latest: 1601
Owner/Agent: Ikeda Terumasa Role: owner
Date: 1601-1613 Earliest:
1601 Latest: 1613
Owner/Agent: Ministry of Culture (Japan) Role:
owner
Date: since 1931 Earliest:
1931 Latest: 9999
Legal Status: national
treasure
[example for a painting, with free-text provenance statement
and associated indexing fields]
Ownership/Collecting History:[13]
1924, sold 21 October 1924 by the artist to (Galerie Bernheim-Jeune,
Paris, France);
from 1924, sold 24 October 1924 to Georges Bernheim (Paris,
France);
sold to Paul Rosenberg (Paris, France);
sold to (Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, New York, USA);
1951, sold 1951 to (Paul Rosenberg and Co., New York, New
York, USA);
Alexandre Rosenberg (New York, New York, USA);
ca.1977, sold to (Eugene Victor Thaw and Co., New York,
New York, USA);
1978-1985, sold January 1978 to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
(Upperville, Virginia, USA);
1985-present, gift 1985 to National Gallery of Art (Washington,
DC, USA).
1. Date: 1924 Earliest: 1924
Latest: 1924 Transfer Mode: collection
of artist Owner/Agent: Matisse, Henri Role:
artist Place: Paris (France)
2. Date: 21 October 1924 Earliest: 1924-10-21
Latest: 1924-10-21 Transfer Mode:
purchase Owner/Agent: Galerie Bernheim-Jeune
Role: dealer Place: Paris (France)
3. Date: from 24 October 1924 Earliest:
1924-10-24 Latest: 1924-10-24 Transfer
Mode: purchase Owner/Agent: Bernheim,
Georges Role: owner Place: Paris
(France)
4. Transfer Mode: purchase Owner/Agent:
Rosenberg, Paul Role: owner Place:
Paris (France)
5. Transfer Mode: purchase Owner/Agent:
Pierre Matisse Gallery Role: dealer Place:
New York (New York, USA)
6. Date: 1951 Earliest: 1951
Latest: 1951 Transfer Mode: purchase
Owner/Agent: Paul Rosenberg and Co. Role:
dealer Place: New York (New York,
USA)
7. Date: ca. 1977 Earliest: 1975
Latest: 1979 Transfer Mode: purchase
Owner/Agent: Eugene Victor Thaw and Co. Role:
dealer Place: New York (New York,
USA)
8. Date: January 1978-1985 Earliest:
1978 Latest: 1985 Transfer Mode:
purchase Owner/Agent: Mellon, Paul Role:
owner Owner/Agent: Mellon,
Paul, Mrs. Role: owner Place:
Upperville (Virginia, USA)
9. Date: 1985-present Earliest: 1985
Latest: 9999 Transfer Mode: gifted
Owner/Agent: National Gallery of Art Role:
owner Place: Washington, (DC, USA)
NOTE: The outline numbers are subject to change; they are
intended only to organize this document.
Revised 6 September 2019
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