Digitally recording and publishing information about the provenance of collection objects is becoming increasingly important for university collections. This is particularly true for objects whose provenance is legally or ethically problematic. High-priority issues include acquisitions made in colonial contexts and confiscations related to Nazi-era persecution.
For this pilot study, we are able to build on long-standing working relationships with Dr. Meike Hoffmann’s provenance research team at the FU Berlin. Our goal is to jointly develop data structures and an infrastructural setting that will make it possible to digitally represent scientifically relevant data accurately and professionally using the (minimal) available resources.
Sultan Art Collection Research (SACRe), led by Dr. Hoffmann, is working to reconstruct the art collection of German-Jewish entrepreneur Adolf Sultan (1861–1941) and is endeavoring to clarify the whereabouts of the works.
According to the DZK’s funding guidelines, the project is not eligible for funding to establish a digital infrastructure. The Digital Network for Collections has been able to provide uncomplicated assistance by making an Omeka S database system available on an interim basis. Because we have automated the setup of Omeka S systems, it has been possible to implement this process with minimal effort.
Together with the provenance research team, we are currently developing a data model that is capable of digitally mapping the data that has been obtained to accompany the research. In the future, this model will also allow for the accurate recording and presentation of data on the provenance of objects in Berlin’s university collections.
The long-term archiving of the resulting research data will be handled by heidata, the discipline-specific repository.