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

Search “Provenance Research: How have objects come to be in the V&A?” in Explore the Collections

Features

Read

A history of Asante gold at the V&A

Discover the history of the Asante gold at the V&A that was among several hundred pieces looted by British troops during the Anglo-Asante Wars in 1874

  1. Read

    Rediscovering the story of an Ethiopian manuscript at the V&A

    Was this Emperor Tewodros' personal devotional book?
  2. Read

    Ethiopian collections at the V&A

    Discover more about the provenance of Ethiopian objects in the V&A collections and why ongoing research into our collections is vital.
  3. Read

    From culture to currency: glass beads and the transatlantic slave trade

    Objects of resistance, through which enslaved Africans and African Americans asserted their own identities, culture, and communities
  4. Read

    'Entartete Kunst': The Nazis' inventory of 'degenerate art'

    Discover the story behind this unique document
  5. Read

    Provenance and restitution: the Emma Budge Collection

    An important resource for provenance researchers documenting works of art forcibly sold by the Nazis
  6. Read

    The gold ewer

    Read about the restitution of a 4,250-year-old Anatolian gold ewer
  7. Read

    The Tiger and the Queen: a bust of Marie Antoinette from the court of Tipu Sultan 

    Find out how a bust of the queen was looted from an Indian palace and found its way into the V&A’s collection
  8. Read

    South Asian objects at the V&A: 1880 – 1920

From the collection

Show all
  1. pattern book
    Album of embroidered, woven and resist-dyed silk fragments, 8th century (fragments), 19th century (album), Japan
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  2. betel box
    Betel box, on a stand in the shape of a karaweik or mythical bird, Konbaung Dynasty, about 1850 – 75, Mandalay, Myanmar
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. pair of busts
    Pair of busts of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, King and Queen of France, Sèvres porcelain factory, France, about 1788, soft-paste biscuit porcelain
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. Pair of altar parcel-gilt gates with elaborate decoration in silver and gold colours
    Holy Gates from the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Hryhorii Chyzhevskyi, 1784, Kyiv, Ukraine
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  5. clock
    Table clock, assembled from 17th-century shrine and clock, clock movement made by Elias Kreitmayer, in its current configuration probably 1880 – 1900, Berlin, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  6. manuscript
    Manuscript, Psalter with canticles, Song of Songs and praises of the Virgin Mary, unknown maker, 18th or 19th century, Northern Ethiopia
    V&A East Museum
    On display
  7. ring
    Gold ring, unknown maker, probably 19th century, Asante, Ghana
    On loan
  8. ewer
    Ewer or holy-water jug, unknown maker, 18th century, Lhasa, Tibet
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  9. typescript
    Entartete Kunst, Vol. 1: Aachen to Görlitz, page 178, compiled by the Ministry for Propaganda, Germany, about 1941 – 42
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  10. plaque
    Plaque, unknown maker, dark green jade with dragon carving, 1700 – 1800, China
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
islamic tile
person working with clay with their hands
two women sat on a long green chair looking away from camera
woman working with a pen in hand on a black mannequin head

Join a V&A Academy experience

Explore our curated range of expert-led courses, workshops, and talks, all with the V&A collections at their core.

  • Expert led courses
  • Practical workshops
  • Lectures & talks
  • Professional development
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