# Provenance

> The documented history of an object's ownership, from its creation or discovery to the present. A sound provenance supports authenticity and legal title, and can add to the object's value.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/provenance
- Language: English
- Also known as: Ownership history, Pedigree
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/provenance.md

## Definition

The documented history of an object's ownership, from its creation or discovery to the present. A sound provenance supports authenticity and legal title, and can add to the object's value.

Provenance is established from invoices, earlier auction catalogues, exhibition records, collectors' stamps or labels and correspondence. Gaps must be stated honestly: an unknown provenance stays unknown. For some categories, such as antiquities and cultural property, due diligence on provenance is a legal obligation in many countries.

In Selloff, provenance can be recorded in the lot's description or additional fields, and earlier sales of the same lot are visible in its history.

## Related features

- [Lot descriptions](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-descriptions.md): Describe lots on a screen you configure, with texts, custom fields, categories and images, and generate repetitive headings and descriptions automatically.

## Related terms

- [Certificate of authenticity](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/certificate-of-authenticity.md): A document issued by a recognised expert, the artist's foundation, the manufacturer or a certification body, attesting that an object is genuine. Its value depends entirely on the authority of the issuer.
- [Condition report](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/condition-report.md): A written description of an object's physical state (damage, restorations, wear, missing parts) prepared by the auction house, usually on request, to help a bidder decide without seeing the object.
- [Catalogue](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/catalogue.md): The publication that presents the lots of a sale in order, with lot numbers, descriptions, images, estimates and the conditions of sale. It exists in print, as a PDF and online, often on several platforms at once.