noun · academic
provenance
UK/ˈprɒvənəns/US/ˈprɑːvənəns/PROV·e·nance
the history of ownership and origin of an artwork or object
Examples
“Researchers established the provenance of the vase by tracing old sale records.”
“Questionable provenance can reduce the value of an antique.”
“Museums always document the provenance of new acquisitions.”
Band 8 sentence
“Scholars could not confirm the painting's provenance until they accessed a dealer's ledger from the 1920s.”
Collocations
- establish provenance
- documented provenance
- provenance of the painting
Word family
Common mistakes
The painting's providence is unclear.→The painting's provenance is unclear.
Provenance of this vase were traced back to 1800s.→The provenance of this vase was traced back to the 1800s.
Say it for a higher band
5origin→6background→7+provenance
Synonyms
origin
Easily confused
origin
“The origin of the coin was Asia, but its provenance showed it had been in private collections for decades.”
Related words
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In Art & Culture
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