Large amount of art objects have been looted throughout the years with the most notorious one being the systematic art thefts that were happening before and during World War II, resulting in a large-scale misplacement of art ownership, especially in Europe. Many descendants of the victim families have been fighting to bring justice. It was only in 1998 that a set of principles were established in the US to help people in the process of reclaiming their rightful ownership. It is not clear how many have succeeded, as some of the art pieces have been purchased by different establishments and it might not always be very easy to verify the history of ownerships for several of the art works. This is a clear example why we must always look at the provenance of an art piece, a process that has been seemingly neglected many times in the past.
The provenance of an art object is important as it can prove that the art work has been legally acquired and it can most significantly resolve ownership disputes. It can help in the verification of the work and whether it is in fact an original and not a forgery. When a painting comes with a provenance that has been established, this significantly increases its value. That is particularly the case when it comes to an object that was formerly owned by someone of fame. For example, so many pieces of art that were once in a possession of celebrities or politicians have been sold way above their estimated price. As in many occasions, the provenance can help discover the origin of an art work, in order to confirm the artist and date. When it comes to portraits of unknown subjects, the provenance can aid in the unveiling of who that person was.
Cultural Plunder
So many archeological sites have been looted and artefacts of cultural significance have been taken by thieves throughout the years, depriving many nations of their own history. Dura-Europos, for example, a site located in Syria and accidentally discovered by British soldiers in 1920, has been noted as 70 percent ruined due to looting. The site, that is actually an ancient church, initially contained many religious objects like shrines, sculptures of Gods, sacred architecture and the oldest portrait of Jesus Christ, we do not know what objects remained.
In Ancient Egypt Pharaohs were mummified with amulets and jewels, with lots of artefacts and all sort of valuable items in their tombs. The tombs were built to safeguard the corpses of the dead kings and nobles of Egypt, to protect their possessions for eternity. Tombs have been looters’ target for a long period of time and much of Egypt’s cultural heritage has been under a constant threat.
One of the oldest archeological sites in South America, Ventarron, representing a temple that was built roughly around 2000 BCE, is a site that has been stolen from repeatedly. Ventarron is located in Northern Peru and has been looted mostly due to lack of resources to protect it and the low surveillance.
Many of the stolen objects were never seen before in public and therefore for the majority of people it gets even harder to spot them. Oftentimes, the strong provenance of an object can be looked as an evidence that it has not been illegally excavated or exported from another country.
The royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, modern-day Nigeria, was home to more than a thousand metal plaques and sculptures, some of them made from brass or bronze, created by the Edo people. Many of the object were looted by the British forces and ended up being sold to different museums and some in the private collections of various British officials.
During and after the first stage of the Iraq War, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraq Museum was looted by three separate thefts of three different groups in the course of few days, as per the indications of the investigation. About 15,000 items were stolen and some of them were extremely valuable. Part of the stolen items were too large and probably too hard to sell, as they were too recognizable. An amnesty was promised with addition to rewards and many of the objects were returned by some of the looters. Despite the international efforts to recover the lost items, not all of them have been found.
What is Art Provenance?
The provenance of an object details its history of where it has been since its creation. By the means of receipts of purchase, sometimes photographs and for an established provenance a long list of previous owners and all of the supporting documents. Sometimes a complete list and documented proof might not be entirely possible, as for older works there would oftentimes be some gaps in history. When a painting, for example, has also been part of an exhibition, it should be listed in its documented provenance. Unfortunately, the provenance of an art object can sometimes be faked in order to sell works with false claims.
