Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Natural Language Art Provenance Searches in the Getty Provenance Index

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1. Verfasser: Henrickson, Mathew
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Henrickson, Mathew
author_facet Henrickson, Mathew
contents This research presents a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework for art provenance studies, focusing on the Getty Provenance Index. Provenance research establishes the ownership history of artworks, which is essential for verifying authenticity, supporting restitution and legal claims, and understanding the cultural and historical context of art objects. The process is complicated by fragmented, multilingual archival data that hinders efficient retrieval. Current search portals require precise metadata, limiting exploratory searches. Our method enables natural-language and multilingual searches through semantic retrieval and contextual summarization, reducing dependence on metadata structures. We assess RAG's capability to retrieve and summarize auction records using a 10,000-record sample from the Getty Provenance Index - German Sales. The results show this approach provides a scalable solution for navigating art market archives, offering a practical tool for historians and cultural heritage professionals conducting historically sensitive research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_19093
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Natural Language Art Provenance Searches in the Getty Provenance Index
Henrickson, Mathew
Computation and Language
This research presents a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework for art provenance studies, focusing on the Getty Provenance Index. Provenance research establishes the ownership history of artworks, which is essential for verifying authenticity, supporting restitution and legal claims, and understanding the cultural and historical context of art objects. The process is complicated by fragmented, multilingual archival data that hinders efficient retrieval. Current search portals require precise metadata, limiting exploratory searches. Our method enables natural-language and multilingual searches through semantic retrieval and contextual summarization, reducing dependence on metadata structures. We assess RAG's capability to retrieve and summarize auction records using a 10,000-record sample from the Getty Provenance Index - German Sales. The results show this approach provides a scalable solution for navigating art market archives, offering a practical tool for historians and cultural heritage professionals conducting historically sensitive research.
title Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Natural Language Art Provenance Searches in the Getty Provenance Index
topic Computation and Language
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.19093