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Invoice vs COA vs Provenance
These records answer different questions. The invoice records the transaction; a certificate asserts object identity or authorship; provenance records the history of ownership or custody.
Why this question is harder than it looks
A strong acquisition file uses the records together. None should be asked to prove more than it actually documents.
A practical way to decide
- Use the invoice to preserve parties, price, date, and terms.
- Evaluate a certificate by issuer, specificity, and connection to the object.
- Build provenance by preserving transfers, labels, correspondence, and publications.
- Keep photographs that connect paper records to the physical work.
- Update the file when location, condition, insurance, framing, or ownership changes.
What this does not establish
Documents can repeat the same unsupported claim. Independent corroboration and object-specific detail matter more than the number of pages.
Next step
Check an artwork to organize public evidence about a specific listing. The tool provides research context, not authentication or appraisal.
Sources
- Buy Now Marketplace Conditions of Business for BuyersSotheby's
- Art Appraisal ServicesInternal Revenue Service