Ownership, Acquisition and Provenance
Know Where Every Object Comes From
Muselera records who owns each object, how it entered the museum and who owned it before. Acquisition, ownership and provenance follow the Spectrum procedures, with the level of detail your museum needs.
Why Provenance Matters
Museums are increasingly asked to show how and from whom their objects were acquired. A clear acquisition record and a documented chain of ownership protect the museum, support research and make it possible to answer questions from authorities, researchers and the public.
In Muselera, persons and organisations, acquisitions, ownership and provenance are connected records. The same owner, donor or seller is recorded once and used everywhere.
Acquisition
How the object entered the museum, following the Spectrum Acquisition procedure
Numbered Acquisitions
Every acquisition gets its own number per year.
Method and Source
Record the method, such as purchase, donation, bequest, excavation find, confiscation, transfer or exchange, and the person or organisation the object came from.
Decisions and Documents
Keep the decision and transfer document details, the price and the related documents with the acquisition.
Partial Dates
When the exact date is unknown, enter a partial date such as year only or approximate.
Many Objects, One Acquisition
A single acquisition can cover many objects, for example a whole donated collection.
Ownership
Ownership Status
Record whether an object is owned by the museum, on deposit, borrowed, in judicial custody or of unknown ownership, and who its current owner is.
Ownership History
Every change of ownership is written to history.
Bulk Changes
Change the ownership of many objects at once.
Persons and Organisations
Owners, sources and previous owners are kept in one list. Search while selecting, and add a missing person or organisation on the spot.
Provenance
The chain of ownership before the object reached the museum
Chain of Ownership
Each link has a person, role, date range, place, type of transfer, level of certainty, source and documents.
Research Status
Give every object a provenance research status: complete, partial, with gaps or not researched.
Copy a Chain
Copy the chain of one object to other selected objects.
Flags for Review
Objects whose provenance may need attention are flagged, for example chance finds that have never been researched.
Flexible and Searchable
Off, Simple or Full
Acquisition and provenance screens can be off, simple or full. Small museums keep a lean interface, larger museums use the full Spectrum detail.
Detailed Search
Search objects by ownership, acquisition and provenance data and apply bulk actions to the results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions museums ask us most. Can't find yours? Our team is happy to help.
Which acquisition methods can be recorded?
Purchase, donation, bequest, excavation find, confiscation, transfer, exchange and others, together with the source, the decision and transfer documents, the price and related documents.
What if we do not know the exact acquisition date?
Enter a partial date, such as the year only or an approximate date.
How is provenance recorded?
As a chain of owners before the object reached the museum. Each link has a person, role, date range, place, type of transfer, level of certainty, source and documents, and every object gets a research status.
Which ownership statuses are there?
Owned by the museum, on deposit, borrowed, in judicial custody and unknown. The current owner is recorded, and every change is kept in history and can also be made in bulk.
Is this too detailed for a small museum?
No. The screens can be switched off or used in simple mode, and the full Spectrum detail is there when you need it.
Document the Story of Every Object
See acquisition, ownership and provenance in Muselera in a live demo.