Provenance Research

Provenance research is now part of a museum's duties. It often involves injustice and restitution, but always involves stories that accompany an object and have remained hidden until now.

For a long time, the objects in museums were primarily representatives of our culture from days long past. In order to pass on a well-documented and, ideally, unencumbered collection to future generations, their history must be illuminated. The HMB is taking on this challenge and is gradually researching its collection holdings.

Until now, only a few of the HMB's collection items have been examined in depth. This is set to change. Tracing the provenance – i.e. the origin – of an object makes a valuable contribution to its historical context. Provenance research tells us more about the history of an object and its previous owners. It enables us to trace an object's path into the museum collection.

The Basel-Stadt Cultural Policy Statement (2020–2025) calls on the five state-run museums to establish provenance research at their institutions.

In May 2023, the Grosser Rat followed the report of the Education and Culture Commission on the recommendation concerning ‘Framework expenditure authorisation for active provenance research in the cantonal museums of Basel-Stadt for the years 2023 to 2026/29’ and thus allocated a substantial amount for provenance research. This clearly underlines the relevance of this field of research.

In 2023, the HMB began establishing provenance research at the museum and disseminating the newly acquired findings. We are committed to communicating transparently and openly about the status of our research and its results. When dealing with objects with a problematic history, we are guided by the ICOM Code of Ethics and the Washington Declaration (1998) and its follow-up declarations (Vilnius, Terezín, Washington 2024).

Preliminary investigation, prioritisation, initial research (VPE II)

2026–2027

The VPE II project builds on the VPE I project and focuses on various groups of objects, including different types of clocks, scientific instruments, coins and medals.

Die Protokolle der Kommission und die Erwerbsakten. Erschliessung grundlegender Archivbestände

2025 – 2026

Für die Provenienzforschung ist die Zugänglichkeit des hauseigenen Archivs zentral. Im Projekt werden zwei grundlegende Aktenbestände für die Jahre 1933 bis 1960 erschlossen. Zudem wird die Sammlungsdatenbank um ein anbindungsfähiges Archivmodul erweitert.

Preliminary investigation, prioritisation, initial research (VPE I)

2024–2025 (completed)

This foundational project reflected the diverse nature of the HMB’s collection. To understand the specific needs of porcelain, furniture, and silverware, it was first necessary to gain practical experience. This experience served as the basis for developing standards and guidelines.

A pioneering project in provenance research: laying the foundations for the HMB's musical instrument collection

2023–2024 (completed)

The HMB was the first museum in Switzerland to research the provenance of objects in its musical instrument collection, focusing on the period between 1933 and 1945. The project attracted international interest.