How to Get a Painting Appraised

Choose online or in person before you pay

A good photograph can answer a surprising amount: the apparent medium, construction, visible artist information, subject, dimensions, framing, and obvious condition issues. If those facts are readable, an online review is a practical first step. It saves you from transporting the painting before you know whether the market question deserves more work.

An online page cannot pretend to be a nearby studio visit. Physical inspection becomes the better choice when scale or fragility makes safe photography difficult, surface texture or condition cannot be understood remotely, or the intended use requires a scope that the provider will only accept after direct examination.

If you are still weighing remote options, this guide to getting art appraised online explains what a photo-based service can and cannot reasonably do.

Photograph and document the artwork once

The fastest way to get a useful response is to prepare one clean evidence packet that can go to any evaluator. Do this before asking for a quote. It gives the provider enough information to define scope, and it lets you compare answers on the same facts.

1. Full front. Photograph the painting square to the camera in even light, with the complete frame visible.
2. Full back. Include the stretcher, backing board, hanging hardware, labels, inscriptions, and old inventory marks.
3. Edges and frame. Show how the support is held, plus the frame corners and any glazing.
4. Close details. Add focused views of visible signatures, dates, labels, texture, repairs, tears, stains, flaking, or distortion.
5. Measurements. Record image and framed height and width; add depth for panels or deep frames.
6. Known history. Gather receipts, prior reports, exhibition labels, correspondence, and ownership dates without upgrading family stories into facts.
7. Your purpose. State whether you are exploring resale, personal records, insurance, estate planning, or donation support.
8. Your deadline. Name the actual date and ask whether research, inspection, and delivery fit it.

Do not clean the surface, remove backing, or disturb a fragile frame for better pictures. If a safe view is impossible, say so. That limitation is useful information, not a reason to improvise.

Ask the appraiser five scope questions

“How much is an appraisal?” is not the first question. The useful question is what assignment the fee buys. Ask these points in writing so you can compare like with like:

1. What decision will the report support? Resale, personal records, insurance, estate, donation, and litigation can require different value definitions and evidence.
2. Will you inspect online or in person? Ask what photographs, documents, measurements, and access are required.
3. What exactly will I receive? Confirm whether the result is a verbal opinion, auction estimate, brief market screen, or signed written report.
4. How is the fee set? Request the hourly, flat, travel, research, or per-item basis. A credible fee should not rise merely because the value conclusion rises.
5. What is your relevant experience? Ask about the painting's category and period, the standards used for the assignment, conflicts of interest, and the research sources expected.

For nearby help, search available specialists by location and service. Confirm current credentials, scope, fees, and availability directly with the provider in the Antique & Art Appraiser Directory. For category-specific service information, see art and painting appraisals.