For a provenance-research project at the Berlinische Galerie, BiblioCopy digitised historic ledgers from a Berlin art gallery in 2020. The digital copies support research into object biographies in accordance with the Washington Principles.
Project period
2020
Collections
Historic business ledgers
Objective
Provenance research and DDB
Business books as key sources
Entries recording purchases, sales and the people involved can provide important evidence about the provenance of artworks. Faithful digitisation makes this information available for systematic comparison.
- Careful capture of bound ledgers
- Readable reproduction of handwritten entries and marginal notes
- Consistent file structure for further cataloguing
- Delivery to the German Digital Library
Digital sources for transparent provenance research
Online access makes it easier for researchers, institutions and the public to trace routes through the art market and critically examine historic ownership.