Getting started

Proveana is the research database for provenance research funded by the German Lost Art Foundation. Most of the information comes from provenance research projects funded by the Foundation (and its predecessor institutions) since 2008.

The final reports of these projects were evaluated according to specific criteria, and their relevant content was transferred to the eight data record types of Proveana (1. Persons and corporate bodies, 2. Events, 3. Historical collections, 4. Material objects, 5. Provenance attributes, 6. Archived documents, 7. Literature and digital offerings, 8. Projects). This content is constantly updated with new information.

Proveana offers different options for searching the information. You can use the “Search” (full text search) or the “Advanced search” functions, or you can search within the eight data record types. All search options are available on the home page.

The home page also provides an overview of the four research areas on which Proveana offers information, a selection of projects currently funded by the Foundation and a compilation of interesting topics revolving around provenance research.

All users of Proveana can register with an e-mail address and enjoy the benefits of the user account (such as creating marked items lists and search lists, using the comments function). You can use the “Register” button on the home page to set up your user account. Users with a legitimate interest also have the possibility to request extended access and research the project reports directly.

All individual data records and lists can be printed using your browser’s print function.

The results list can be filtered and sorted. Similarly to individual data records, they can be browsed using the navigation symbols.