provenance

The place of origin or earliest known history of something; the chronology of the ownership and custody of an artefact, manuscript, or work of art — tracing where something came from and who has had it.

• (French loanword)

• provenance of the painting
• establish provenance
• questionable provenance
• provenance research
• provenance of the data
• clear provenance

1. 1.A painting's provenance — its documented chain of ownership from the artist's studio to the current owner — is crucial for authentication and can dramatically affect its value. (art history documentation)
2. 2.Looted art with gaps in its provenance during the Nazi era is being systematically identified and returned to the families of original owners. (restitution context)

• origin/ˈɒrɪdʒɪn/— where something comes from
• pedigree/ˈpɛdɪɡriː/— lineage, ancestry
• lineage/ˈlɪniɪdʒ/— line of descent

from French "provenance" — from "provenir" (to come forth) — from Latin "provenire" — "pro" (forth) + "venire" (to come) — where something came forth from