What does provenance mean?
From the French word provenir, which means "to come from," provenance is the history of ownership of a valued object, such as a work of art.
A full provenance provides a documented history that can help prove ownership, assign the work to a known artist, and establish the work of art's authenticity.
Catalogues raisonnés — scholarly compilations of an artist's body of work — are critical tools for researching the provenance and attribution of artwork.