Methodology

The Provenance is an independent editorial archive of results from the four leading global auction houses: Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, and Bonhams. The project exists to make the secondary art market a little more legible to collectors, writers, and researchers working outside the trade.

Sources

Records are compiled from the public post-sale reports issued by each house. The houses do not publish an open API, and their catalogue systems, embargoes and corrections change frequently, so figures on this site should be treated as informational and verified against the official catalogue before being cited.

Prices

All prices shown are hammer prices — the winning bid at the rostrum, before buyer's premium, VAT, or other fees. Where the house reports only a premium-inclusive figure, the field marked as "hammer" reflects that as-published number and is annotated in the lot notes.

Currencies

Sales are recorded in the currency of the saleroom (USD for New York, GBP for London, HKD for Hong Kong, etc.). No FX conversion is applied.

Corrections

Spot an error or a missing lot? Write to archive@theprovenance.example.