Provenance is the documented history of an object's ownership, from the artist's studio to the present day. It is one of the most misunderstood words in the art world.
What counts as provenance
Provenance is built from verifiable records: purchase receipts, auction catalogues, exhibition labels, dealer stamps, estate inventories, photographs of the work in situ, and letters that mention it specifically.
What does not count
Family memory is a starting point, not a document. "It has always been in the family" is a genuinely useful fact worth recording — but it should be recorded as recollection, not presented as an established chain of ownership.
Gaps are normal
Very few objects outside museum collections have complete provenance. An honest record with gaps is far more credible than an embellished one. In your Maison Levit passport, record what you know, mark what is uncertain, and leave unknown fields empty.
Why it matters
Provenance affects three things: confidence in attribution, legal title, and value. It cannot be retrofitted — but it can be started today. The record you begin now becomes the provenance of tomorrow.
The best time to document an object's history was when it entered the family. The second-best time is now.