A chain, not a single receipt
A provenance chain may include creation, House registration, atelier records, boutique allocation, acquisition, authorized transfer, service, restoration, and heritage preservation. Not every object contains every stage; the value is understanding which links exist and how confidently they connect.
Gaps are not automatic proof
Records can be lost, private, or never created. An absent document does not automatically prove that an object is inauthentic. It changes how much historical evidence is available and should be stated plainly.
Public, authorized, and private
Public evidence can explain a House or collection. Authorized evidence can be available to verified parties. Private evidence can remain protected while still contributing to an internal record.
Preserving a story
The purpose of provenance is to preserve a defensible relationship between an object and its documented story so future care, service, restoration, and inheritance can be handled with more intelligence.