How to Read a Condition Report

When you buy a work of art online, the condition report is your eyes. It records the physical state of a work at a particular moment: what is original, what has changed, what has been repaired and what may need attention in future. A good one lets you understand a work you have not yet stood in front of. A vague one leaves you guessing.

Who writes them, and how

Condition reports are written by conservators, auction house specialists, galleries and sellers. Who wrote the report matters, so look for a name, a role and a date. A report from a conservator who examined the work under magnification and ultraviolet light carries more weight than a line written from memory.

It helps to know how works are examined. Most reports are based on looking with the naked eye in good, even light. Raking light, shone across the surface at a low angle, reveals texture, cracks and distortions. Ultraviolet (UV) light makes many old varnishes glow, and later retouching applied on top of an old varnish often shows up as dark patches, which is why UV examination is one of the quickest ways to see how much restoration a painting has had.

What a good report covers

A useful condition report addresses five things.

1. The surface. The paint, ink or printed surface: cracking, abrasion, losses, discoloured varnish, stains and scratches.
2. The support and structure. The canvas, panel, paper or other material the work is made on: tears, holes, warping, splits, cockling or a slack canvas.
3. The frame. Whether one is included, its condition, and whether it is original or later. A frame can be a significant part of a work's presentation and value.
4. Restoration history. What has been done, when and, if known, by whom: cleaning, consolidation, relining, retouching.
5. Who examined it, and when. A report written several years ago may not reflect the work today.

Terms you are likely to meet

• Craquelure. A network of fine cracks in the paint or varnish that develops with age. Usually normal in older paintings, and not a concern if stable.
• Cupping, lifting or flaking. Paint curling away from the surface or coming loose. This is active damage and needs a conservator's attention.
• Abrasion. Wear to the surface, often from past cleaning, rubbing or handling.
• Losses. Areas where paint or ground is missing entirely.
• Discoloured varnish. Varnish that has yellowed or darkened with age and dulls the colours beneath. A conservator can often remove and replace it.
• Bloom. A cloudy, milky haze in a varnish layer, often caused by moisture.
• Foxing. Small reddish-brown spots on paper, associated with damp and impurities in the paper.
• Cockling. A rippling or undulating paper surface, usually caused by changes in humidity.
• Light-staining or mat burn. Discolouration of paper from light exposure or from contact with an acidic mount.
• Relining. Attaching a new canvas to the back of the original to strengthen it. Common in older paintings.
• Inpainting or retouching. Paint added by a restorer to fill losses. It should be confined to the areas of loss.
• Overpaint. Restorer's paint that extends beyond the losses and covers original paint. The more extensive it is, the greater the concern.

Restoration is not a red flag

Most paintings more than a century old have been cleaned or restored at least once, and a sympathetic, well-documented restoration can be exactly what a work needed. What matters is the extent of the work, its quality, whether it is stable and, above all, whether it has been disclosed. Undisclosed restoration discovered after a purchase is the real problem.

Ratings are a shorthand

Many reports include an overall rating, from "excellent" to "poor". Ratings make works easy to compare, but the decision usually rests on the detail: "a 3cm repaired tear, lower left, retouched" tells you far more than "good". Read the description, not just the score.

Photographs to ask for

If the listing images do not already show them, ask for:

• the back of the work, including the stretcher or backboard and any labels
• the edges, where damage to canvas and paper often appears first
• the signature, close up
• the surface in raking light
• UV images, for paintings where restoration is a question
• the corners and joins of the frame

Questions to ask about condition

• Who examined the work, in what capacity, and when?
• Has it been restored, cleaned, relined or reframed, and is there documentation?
• Is there any active damage, such as flaking paint, that needs urgent attention?
• Has its condition changed since the report was written?
• How has the work been stored and displayed?

Condition on Meridian's

On Meridian's, sellers describe a work's condition under the headings a specialist would use: the surface, the structure, the frame, any restoration, known gaps in the provenance and who examined the work, together with an overall rating and, where available, a full condition report. This is the seller's own description, so read it alongside the photographs and ask the seller about anything that is unclear. The AI research consultant on each listing can explain unfamiliar terms in plain English. For works bought through Meridian's checkout, you can report a problem to the seller if a work arrives in a condition that does not match its description; the seller handles any return or refund, as set out in buyer protection.