The Growing Importance of Provenance in Antiquities and Reproductions

Provenance, defined in the dictionary, is "the place of origin or earlier known history of something." The word's origin began in Latin, as provenire, and in French, the word transformed to provenir until it became provenance in the late 18th Century.

In regards to antiques and antique reproductions, the provenance of a piece may be the most valuable aspect. But why is it important?

What is Provenance In Antiques and Antique Reproductions?

Provenance is the details of the chronology of ownership, custody, or location of an antique or reproduction piece, preferably for many antique collectors and dealers; this should go all the way back to its creation. When it comes to genuine antiques and even reproductions, a complete and detailed provenance dramatically influences the value and the desirability of the antique.

Not only is provenance essential for antique furniture but for artworks, carvings, jewelry, and even items such as light fixtures, mirrors, and glassware. This documentation has been used to authenticate a piece and to establish its authenticity, ownership, and overall value. It can also prove that the piece has never been stolen and that the current owner has acquired it legitimately.

A reputable antique dealer often tells collectors that provenance is critical and imperative.

Why Provenance Continues to be Increasingly Essential Over Time

In the early 2000s, three high-profile lawsuits strongly impacted how the market for antiques valued the record of ownership.

The first case was the prosecution of a New York antiquities dealer, Fredrick Schultz. He had been illegally trafficking antiques from Egypt by camouflaging them as cheap souvenirs. The second high-profile case, prosecuted by the Italian Federal Government, concerned Giacomo Medici, who was revealed to be an antiquities smuggler. Giacomo Medici ran what is still thought as, to this day, one of the largest and most sophisticated antiquities dealing networks in the world, responsible for illegally digging up and stealing thousands of invaluable pieces and selling them to the most elite end of the international art market.

The third high-profile case concerned one of Giacomo's regular clients, Marion True, who was the curator for the J. Paul Getty Museum, where she purchased material that she knew was illegally excavated from dubious sources.

These high-profile cases and their reproductions forced collectors and sellers alike to reevaluate the importance of provenance.

The 1970s

During the 1970s, the antiquities community sent a strong signal condemning the illicit trade in antiquities by passing the 1970s UNESCO Convention. Although it was meant to protect against the illegal trade of antiquities, the measure could never significantly impact illegitimate sales as it required local courts and municipalities to sign on and invest in enforcing the new regulations.

While the 1970 UNESCO Convention was a revolutionary step towards protecting cultural antiquities at the time, it was not without weaknesses that, over time, had to be addressed. For instance, in 1983, the United States passed legislation covering the substance of the 1970 UNESCO Convention that enabled the negotiations of bilateral agreements—that is a contract which is an agreement between two parties in which both sides agree to fulfill their side of a bargain—with other UNESCO states, which began restriction importation of undocumented antiques coming from their respective territories. This also caused bilateral agreements between 23 countries, including Italy, Greece, Egypt, Syria and Iraq.

However, illegally looted or excavated antiques did not catch the public eye until several decades had passed.

The first time the issue of illegally gotten antiques captured public attention happened during the 2003 Iraq invasion, a major political event that had the United States and the world putting a critical eye on the U.S. army for its lack of training to protect cultural heritage sites. The lack of training enabled the looting of Iraqi archeological sites and the museum in Baghdad, dispersing thousands of priceless objects, including widely popular and studied works of cultural heritage such as the Sumerian Warka Vase. The Warka vase was considered one of the most precious artifacts from Sumer, and its subsequent looting almost led to this priceless artifact being lost forever.

Combined with the increased scrutiny, and the three very high-profile cases, as well as the U.S. Courts showcasing that the U.S. took crimes against cultural heritage seriously, the public became more and more aware of the legitimacy of antiques and how essential it was to know the provenance of its pieces, whether in a museum, in a collection, or for sale through antique dealers.

These cases conveyed that credible sanctions for fighting against trafficked, looted, or stolen antiques could and would be enforced and signaled the market to pay closer attention to provenance.

What Are Considered Good Provenance Practices?

When it comes to hobbyists and beginners, you may be unsure what you should be keeping to ensure your antique or antique reproduction has its provenance. Items with sentimental value, of course, do not need documentation if one has no plans on selling or gifting.

However, if you plan to eventually sell or gift your antiques and antique productions to the next generation, it is vital to keep these documents:

• Historical appraisal documents
• Invoices
• Receipts and Bill of Sale
• Auction Catalogues, archives, or model reference
• Inventory numbers
• Exhibition catalogues
• Maker's Marks
• Materials
• Patina
• Construction Techniques and Weight

For a more thorough guide for the buyer and seller, please visit our article: What You Need to Disclose When Selling Antique Furniture.

With forgeries still commonplace, a complete or at least complete-as-possible provenance not only provides clear ownership and protection to antique collectors, dealers, and owners—but is essential to protecting priceless cultural artifacts from being illegally traded, sold, or stolen from other countries.

To protect yourself and your family, keep clear and concise records of where you purchased your antiques, antique reproductions, and other documents. If in doubt, always seek a reputable, qualified appraiser. Additionally, if you are not buying directly from the owner, ensure that you can consult records from auction houses, art dealers, private collections, galleries, exhibitions, museums, and even consider reaching out through social media to verify provenance.

A legitimate history can provide authenticity to your antiques and reproductions, which will help increase their value as time passes and make the item more desirable, even when compared to works from another artisan—as those works may not have any provenance to them.

Whether protecting a culture's invaluable heritage or your own family's unique history, hopefully, we have assisted you in understanding just how critical the provenance of antiques and antique reproductions is.