How do I set a budget?
Decide the figure you are comfortable spending in total, not only the price on the label. Add framing or reframing, insurance, delivery and tax. Keeping a margin for these stops a good purchase from stretching past your plan.
Then decide how much of the decision is about enjoyment and how much about holding value. Most first buyers do best by choosing a work they want to live with and treating any future value as a bonus, since no seller can promise one.
Write the budget down before you look at any work. It is easier to hold a figure you have already set than to argue with yourself in front of a painting you like. If a work sits just above the figure, ask the seller what is included in the price rather than stretching the plan.
A modest first purchase is a perfectly good way to begin. Many collectors start with a smaller work on paper, learn what they respond to, and move to larger works later with a clearer eye.
Should I buy an original or a print?
An original is a single work made by the artist, such as an oil, a watercolour or a drawing. A print is made in multiples from a plate, stone or screen, and an edition is the set of impressions the artist authorised.
Prints can be a sound way into a favourite artist's imagery at a lower price. If you buy one, ask for the edition size, the number of your impression, whether it is signed, and who printed it. A reproduction, made later to resemble a work, is a different thing again and should be described as such.
What papers should I ask for?
Ask for a written description on an invoice that names the artist, title, date if known, medium, size and edition if there is one. Ask for the provenance, meaning who owned the work before and how it reached the seller.
Where they exist, also ask for earlier invoices, exhibition or catalogue references, and any certificate from the artist or the artist's estate. Keep every paper together, since they are part of what you own and matter when you insure or sell the work later.
If a seller cannot say where a work came from, treat that as information. A gap in the history does not always mean a problem, but it should be explained before you pay, and the explanation should be in writing.
How do I judge condition?
Look at the work in daylight, front and back, and ask for a written condition report if you cannot attend. Things to look for:
Condition affects both how the work looks and what it is worth, so ask about anything you notice and keep the answer in writing.
- Cracking or flaking paint on canvas.
- Brown spots, stains or fading on paper.
- Tears, creases or trimmed margins.
- Old repairs or retouching, which should be disclosed.
- A frame or mount that is damaging the work.
How can I see the scale at home?
Size is the mistake most first buyers make, because a work on a screen has no scale. Measure the wall and mark the height and width with tape before you decide.
Arts Bespoke offers a true size preview at /on-your-wall/, which shows the work at its real dimensions against your wall. Use it before buying anything.
What will it cost in total, and what should I ask any seller?
The total is the price plus framing, insurance, delivery and tax. Tax is shown on the invoice at the rate in force, and you should confirm the treatment with your adviser. At Arts Bespoke prices are printed, there is no buyer's premium and no deposit.
Ask any seller these questions: Is the price final, and what does it include? Who owned the work before? Is there a written condition report? Can I return it, and on what terms? Who pays for delivery and insurance in transit? Contact clientadvisory@artsbespoke.com use Get in touch with questions about any work.
Written by the house and last reviewed on 21 October 2026. General information only: for a decision about a particular work, write to the house or take professional advice.
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