Provenience (noun)

1. The place of origin or earliest known history of something.
2. The study of the history of ownership and location of works of art and other artifacts.

Origin:

Late 16th century (in the sense "origin, source"): from french provenance, from latin provenientia, from provenire "to come forth".

Examples:

1. The provenience of the painting is unknown.
2. Experts in provenience are able to determine the history of a piece of art.
3. The provenience of the vase suggests it was made in ancient Greece.
4. Her research focuses on the provenience of ancient texts.
5. The provenience of the coin is difficult to determine.