Provenance stories on the V&A blog
Find out more about the research uncovering the histories of the objects in our collection
Find out more
Provenance Research: How have objects come to be in the V&A?
Since 1852, objects have come into our collection in many different ways, and via a wide range of individuals and institutions. For some objects, their journeys have involved known histories of violence, coercion or injustice, while for others there remains uncertainty over exactly how they came to be here. Provenance research is the process through which we actively seek to better understand, share and communicate the histories of all our collections.
Restitution and repatriation at the V&A
Restitution and repatriation at the V&A
Features
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Ethiopian collections at the V&ADiscover more about the provenance of Ethiopian objects in the V&A collections and why ongoing research into our collections is vital.
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From culture to currency: glass beads and the transatlantic slave trade -
'Entartete Kunst': The Nazis' inventory of 'degenerate art'
Discover the story behind this unique document
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Explore 'Entartete Kunst': The Nazis' inventory of 'degenerate art'
A unique document providing crucial information about the provenance, exhibition history and fate of each artwork confiscated by the Nazi regime
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Provenance and restitution: the Emma Budge CollectionAn important resource for provenance researchers documenting works of art forcibly sold by the Nazis
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The gold ewer
Read about the restitution of a 4,250-year-old Anatolian gold ewer
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The Tiger and the Queen: a bust of Marie Antoinette from the court of Tipu SultanFind out how a bust of the queen was looted from an Indian palace and found its way into the V&A’s collection
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South Asian objects at the V&A: 1880 – 1920
From the collection
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Album of embroidered, woven and resist-dyed silk fragments, unknown marker, 8th century (fragments), 19th century (album), JapanV&A East Storehouse -
Betel box, on a stand in the shape of a karaweik or mythical bird, Konbaung Dynasty, about 1850 – 75, Mandalay, MyanmarV&A South Kensington -
Pair of busts of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, King and Queen of France, Sèvres porcelain factory, France, about 1788, soft-paste biscuit porcelainV&A South Kensington -
Holy Gates from the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Hryhorii Chyzhevskyi, 1784, Kyiv, UkraineV&A South Kensington -
Table clock, assembled from 17th-century shrine and clock, clock movement made by Elias Kreitmayer, in its current configuration probably 1880 – 1900, Berlin, GermanyV&A South Kensington -
Manuscript, Psalter with canticles, Song of Songs and praises of the Virgin Mary, unknown maker, 18th or 19th century, Northern EthiopiaV&A East Museum -
Gold ring, unknown maker, probably 19th century, Asante, Ghana -
Ewer or holy-water jug, unknown maker, 18th century, Lhasa, TibetV&A East Storehouse -
Entartete Kunst, Vol. 1: Aachen to Görlitz, page 178, compiled by the Ministry for Propaganda, Germany, about 1941 – 42V&A South Kensington -
Plaque, unknown maker, dark green jade with dragon carving, 1700 – 1800, ChinaV&A East Storehouse
Header image:
Betel box, on a stand in the shape of a karaweik or mythical bird, Konbaung Dynasty, about 1850 – 75, Mandalay, Myanmar. Museum no. IS.246&A-1964. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London