Available September 2026
Edited by Judith Barr, Nicole Budrovich, and David Saunders
This practical volume is the first to gather resources specific to the provenance of Mediterranean antiquities in an accessible, comprehensive guidebook.
The first of its kind, this book is an accessible, comprehensive primer of methods and resources for researching the provenance of Mediterranean (Greek, Roman, and Etruscan) antiquities. In addition to outlining effective strategies for documentation and investigation, the volume features an annotated guide to key archives, databases, and twentieth-century dealers to facilitate a broad spectrum of research endeavors. Building upon a decade-long review of the Getty Museum’s antiquities collection, it draws together instructive case studies, legal perspectives, and practical experience to provide an efficient reference for museum professionals, scholars, collectors, and students. The authors aim to emphasize the need for diligent provenance research and to shorten the learning curve for such projects.
The free online edition of this open-access publication will be available at getty.edu/publications/provenance-research and includes zoomable illustrations. Free PDF and EPUB downloads of the book will also be available.
Judith Barr is curatorial assistant, Antiquities, J. Paul Getty Museum. Nicole Budrovich is curatorial assistant, Antiquities, J. Paul Getty Museum. David Saunders is Curator: Greek World at the British Museum; formerly associate curator, Antiquities, J. Paul Getty Museum.
“A pathbreaking book on the provenance of Mediterranean antiquities that is certain to become the definitive work in the field. Accessible, authoritative, and practical, this is the kind of handbook that can only be created by specialists at the forefront of their discipline. Enriched with fascinating provenance stories, it masterfully weaves together the key resources and research strategies with the historical and legal context in which this complex work unfolds. Readers will leave with a deep appreciation of how much is to be gained by reconstructing the life stories of these objects.”
—Jacques Schuhmacher, Art Institute of Chicago, author of
Nazi-Era Provenance of Museum Collections: A research guide
256 pages
8 1/2 x 11 inches
41 color and 10 b/w illustrations
ISBN 979-8-88712-021-8
paperback
Getty Publications
Imprint: J. Paul Getty Museum
2026