Services

A second opinion before you commit.

Most of our advisory work is one of four things: you are about to buy and want the work checked; you own something and need it valued on paper; you want to understand one artist's market; or you need a route through export and shipping without surprises.

Pre-purchase appraisal

Independent review before money moves.

  • Attribution and authenticity assessment against documentation
  • Condition report with photographs of any issue area
  • Comparable auction results over 10 years where available
  • Red flags: altered signatures, re-stretched canvases, retouched paper, doubtful provenance
  • Written recommendation: proceed, proceed with conditions, or walk away

Valuation for insurance, estate or sale

Numbers that hold up when a third party asks for them.

  • Fair market value and replacement value stated separately
  • Methodology documented (comparables, market conditions, condition adjustments)
  • Photographic record suitable for insurer or lawyer files
  • Available as a formal written report on request

Artist & market research

For collectors, galleries and funds studying one name.

  • Auction history, price bands and liquidity for the artist
  • Primary-market structure: who represents them, at what level
  • Museum and institutional record inside China
  • Where the market is thin, and the practical consequences of that

Acquisition & export advisory

The part that usually goes wrong, handled up front.

  • Export documentation and cultural-relic clearance where required
  • Art-specific packing, freight and fine-art insurance
  • Customs classification and duty expectations for your destination
  • Delivery terms stated in writing before you pay

Process

How an engagement runs

Send us the details

Artist, title, dimensions, medium, images of the front, back, signature and any labels. The more you send, the faster this goes.

Scope and fee agreed in writing

We tell you what we can and cannot determine, and what it costs. No open-ended hourly billing.

Research and inspection

Documentation, comparables, market checks, and physical inspection where the work is in China or in hand.

Written findings

A clear report: what it is, what condition it is in, what it is worth, and what we would do in your position.

Fees are quoted per engagement and depend on scope. Appraisal is an opinion on value and authenticity, not a guarantee; it is not investment advice. We disclose any interest we hold in a work before accepting an engagement.

Start here

Send us a work to review

Email the images and details, or write a short enquiry and we will reply with the scope and fee.

Email an appraisal enquiry Use the enquiry form

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