Braun sees provenance as a key to understanding an object’s deeper meaning. This recent project traces the amphora’s path from Lucien Bonaparte’s excavation through a series of changing owners before it reached the Nasher in 2006: debt-ridden English dukes, a social reformer, a Scottish dog breeder, a Cuban count, and a circle of Duke Medical School faculty. “It’s a puzzle,” she said, “and that is what I love about law, how you take pieces and fit the story together to show what you want to prove.”

This work is also shaping her future. Braun is exploring a career that blends art, intellectual property, and emerging questions surrounding AI and fair use. 

Yet one mystery remains unsolved. The vase was auctioned in 1872, but its buyer and its whereabouts afterward are still unknown. Braun is optimistic that the missing chapter can be found. “I know I will come back to the Nasher for as long as they will have me,” she said.

Read more about the journey of this Greek vase, where every stop adds a new layer to its story, on the Duke Law website.