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Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum – Provenance Research and Cutting-Edge Digital Technology
At the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, state-of-the-art technologies in restoration, digitization, and research are being used to preserve artworks, gain deeper insights, and make them accessible to a wide audience.
In addition to research projects such as “VirtuMEx” Virtual Museum Excursions, Collection History of the 18th Century, the HAUM places a strong focus on provenance research.
Provenance research is a field of scholarship dedicated to investigating the ownership history of artworks and cultural objects in public institutions. A central task is uncovering unlawful acquisitions and ownership transfers — often referred to as “looted art.”
The foundation for provenance research in public institutions, especially concerning art and cultural assets confiscated due to Nazi persecution, is based on the Washington Principles of 1998. These call for the identification of Nazi-looted art and for tracing previous owners or their heirs in order to reach a “just and fair solution.”
The basis for provenance research includes acquisition documents or auction catalogs. In addition, so-called provenance features such as stickers, inscriptions, or bookplates on the objects can provide information about previous ownership. Furthermore, special databases and scientific exchange among provenance researchers are important.
Key sources for provenance research include acquisition records and auction catalogues, as well as so-called provenance marks – such as stickers, inscriptions, or ex libris, that may reveal information about previous ownership. Specialized databases and the scholarly exchange among provenance researchers are also vital to this work.
Research Questions
For the Braunschweig museums, provenance research is an ongoing task. The Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, for example, examines its collections for “Nazi-looted art” as well as for “cultural and collection assets from colonial contexts” and “cultural property confiscations in the Soviet Occupation Zone and the GDR”.
For research and questions here:
