Which of the following is a primary source of provenance documentation?

• A. Title deeds.
• B. Galleries press releases.
• C. Social media posts by previous owners.
• D. Artist's promotional postcard.

Answer: (A)

Provenance relies on evidence about the ownership history of a work, and primary sources are the original documents created at or near the moment of a transfer or creation. Title deeds fit this role because they are legal records that document a real transfer of ownership, often including details like the buyer, seller, dates, and a description of the artwork. They provide direct, contemporaneous proof of custody and title, which is exactly what provenance aims to establish.

In contrast, a gallery’s press releases describe events after the fact and serve as secondary sources that help contextualize provenance but do not prove ownership transfer. Social media posts by previous owners are informal and unreliable as formal provenance records. An artist’s promotional postcard is marketing material, not a document recording ownership history or chain of custody. So, the strongest, most direct source of provenance documentation among these is the title deeds.