Provenance provenance of paintings can help resolve ownership disputes. For example, provenance between 1933 and 1945 can determine whether a painting was looted by the Nazis. Many galleries are putting a great deal of effort into researching the provenance of paintings in their collections for which there is no firm provenance during that period. Documented evidence of provenance for an object can help to establish that it has not been altered and is not a forgery, a reproduction, stolen or looted art. Provenance helps assign the work to a known artist, and a documented history can be of use in helping
Provenance also be shipping labels. In the BBC TV programme "Fake or Fortune?" the provenance of the painting "Bords de la Seine à Argenteuil" was investigated using a gallery sticker and shipping label on the back. Early provenance can sometimes be indicated by a "cartellino" (a representation of an inscribed label) added to the front of a painting. However, these can be forged, or can fade or be painted over. Auction records are an important resource to assist in researching the provenance of paintings. If a painting has been in private hands for an extended period and on display in a