What Is a Probate Paintings Valuation?
Paintings are among the most commonly encountered — and most commonly misjudged — assets in probate estates. Every home contains pictures on the walls, but distinguishing a valuable original oil painting from a decorative print, a genuine Old Master from a later copy, or a signed work from one bearing a spurious signature requires specialist knowledge that most executors simply do not possess. Probate paintings valuation is a distinct discipline within fine art assessment, focused specifically on establishing the Open Market Value at the date of death.
The value of a painting is determined by a complex interplay of factors: the artist's reputation and market track record, the specific subject and period of the work, its condition (including any hidden restoration or damage), the medium (oils generally command higher prices than watercolours of equivalent quality), and provenance — the documented history of ownership. A landscape by a well-known Victorian artist may have fallen sharply in value over the past two decades, while a previously overlooked work by a mid-century abstract painter may have appreciated tenfold.
Our painting valuers are qualified through RICS (Fine Art), the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers (SOFAA), and specialist associations covering periods from Old Masters to contemporary art. They conduct regular research into current auction prices and understand the UK market across all schools, periods, and price levels — from modest decorative pictures worth a few hundred pounds to significant works commanding five or six figures.