Purchasing an Artwork
Yes, certainly, please call us on +44 (0)1225 864571 and we will facilitate your purchase by credit or debit card over the phone. It is helpful if you can please provide the stock number of the artwork(s) you are interested in (found above the Add to Basket button in the Artwork Details e.g. KB-347).
Payment can be made by credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, PayPal or Klarna.
We accept the following card types:
- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- Diners Club
- Discover
- Maestro
- Union Pay
Alternative forms of payment, such as bank transfer, cheque, or cash on collection, as well as payment in installments, can be agreed on request.
Yes, be assured that our site, provided by Shopify, is fully PCI compliant. It is EV SSL certified, meaning that our data is transmitted by a highly secured domain that uses the strongest possible SHA2 and ECC encryption on all communications. Somerset & Wood does not store any credit card details. If you create an Account, your payment details are held in full PCI compliance.
No, you do not need an account to make a purchase. You can proceed through checkout as a guest. We do, however, encourage you to create an account so that you can take advantage of its many benefits. Not only does it ensure an optimal shopping experience, it also means we are able to offer a more personalised service. By creating an account we are able quickly to locate your details should you wish to discuss an artwork or order over the phone. Creating a Somerset & Wood Account enables you to:
- Save payment and address information for faster checkout
- View order details and check order status
- Store additional delivery addresses
Our Free Delivery is by standard untracked service so if you require expedited delivery, please select the relevant upgrade at checkout. Please see our Delivery information for more details.
Please email us at info@somersetandwood.com as soon as possible after purchase to let us know. We are happy to postpone shipment in accordance with your requirements.
Our Free Delivery is an untracked service so there is no tracking number. If you require a tracking number please select the relevant delivery upgrade at checkout. See our Delivery information for more details.
Yes, certainly. Please ensure that the Billing and Delivery addresses are adjusted accordingly at checkout. By creating an Account you will be able to store multiple delivery addresses for added convenience.
Yes, of course. We are more than happy to include a gift message, which will be handwritten on Somerset & Wood headed card. Please email us at info@somersetandwood.com as soon as possible after purchase to let us know your requirements.
It is possible that the email might have gone to your Spam or Junk email folder, so please check there first. To avoid this in future, please add our email address to your email Address Book or Contacts: info@somersetandwood.com. If you are still not receiving the email, please contact us and we can resend it or investigate further.
We find that the Royal Mail service is extremely reliable. In our experience, there can be shipping delays to some destinations and at certain times of year, but it is extremely rare that things are lost in post. Please consult our Delivery information for estimated delivery times and for what to do if you are waiting longer than expected.
Yes, of course. We want you to be entirely satisfied with your purchase. Please see our Returns information for further details.
Website
No, there is no 'basket reserve' facility. This means that the item is not confirmed as yours until checkout is completed. Because all our artworks are unique, to avoid potential disappointment we encourage completing your purchase swiftly once decided.
We are not usually able to reserve artworks. This is because doing so involves ending the listing on multiple sales platforms, which incurs fees that are non-refundable if the item is then not bought.
By subscribing to our email newsletter you will receive notification of newly listed stock, giving you first chance to view and buy new pictures—in advance of them going on sale on other selling platforms. We offer exclusive discounts to our newsletter subscribers and also use our newsletter as a way to share research and stories. It is easy to unsubscribe at any time, in the footer of every newsletter email.
We welcome enquiries about specific subject areas and will keep any areas of interest on file. We do not at the moment have the capacity to automatically notify customers of relevant new stock, but we hope to develop this in the future. By subscribing to our email newsletter, however, you will receive notification of stock newly listed that day, giving you first chance to view and buy pictures before they go on sale on other selling platforms.
We produce our digital images through a colour managed workflow and colour-check the images on a calibrated screen. Please note that colours can appear slightly different depending on the calibration of the screen on which they are viewed. If there is a significant variation in colour between our image and the actual artwork we will state this in the listing. If you have any questions about colour do contact us and we will be happy to help.
Depending on paper type, some degree of ageing is to be expected and is part of the authenticity of the work. We take care to describe the condition of artworks as fully as possible in our descriptions and photographs. We list any significant condition issues, such as losses, tears, foxing, stains and age toning. For more subtle marks and irregularities, please consult the photographs provided as additional indication of condition. If you have any questions about condition do contact us and we will be happy to help.
Other
An original painting or drawing is a unique picture made by an artist. Prints are made by applying ink to paper or other material by one (or more) of various processes. A distinction is made between original or art prints (such as engravings, etchings, mezzotints, aquatints) and mass-produced prints. Original or art prints are usually produced in limited edition print runs with direct involvement of the artist.
All our artworks are original and have an inventory of one. On occasion we sell prints produced by mass-reproduction methods, such as 19th-century photogravures, Baxter prints and lithographs (usually hand-coloured), which are of historical merit.
Much of our artwork is signed and/or dated. Signs to look for which help verify age include style of handwriting, paper type and condition. The majority of our artworks originate from collections, which, for undated or unsigned works, provide context and provenance to help authenticate age and authorship. We always give as much historical information as we can with every listing and we offer a Certificate of Authenticity with every artwork. We have sold to museums across the UK. Read more in our Testimonials.
The vast majority of our stock is unframed. The framing status of an artwork is clearly stated in the artwork listing.
No, we do not at present offer a framing service.
Dimensions are shown in both cm and inches. These sizes refer to the size of the image shown in the main (first) photograph in the listing. This is usually the size of the artwork cropped to the image as it would appear when mounted. The full paper sheet size of the artwork is usually slightly larger. In the case of artworks laid down on a backing sheet, the backing sheet may be somewhat larger. We recommend waiting to receive the artwork before purchasing a mount or frame in order to ensure correct sizing. If you have any specific questions about the size of an artwork please contact us and we will be happy to help.
No, we are not able to give valuations. We recommend that you contact your local auction house for an estimation of current market value.
Our gallery is exclusively online. Should you wish to view specific artworks in person, please contact us to arrange an appointment (Monday to Friday, 9.30am-5.00pm). Please provide the 'stock number' (e.g. KB-347) of the artworks that you are interested in so that we can get them out of storage for you. As all artworks are kept in storage, please note that general browsing is not possible.
We are pleased to be offered works from private ownership if they are in line with our acquisitions policy. This usually means that we are more interested in purchasing collections of pictures, such as albums, sketchbooks or folios. We do not usually purchase individual pictures unless they fall within our specialist 19th-century subject areas: Indian pictures, Company School, Neapolitan School, Chinese Export.
Please contact us at info@somersetandwood.com giving full information and images, along with your expected purchase price.
We welcome requests to reproduce Somerset & Wood images. Please consult our Image Reproductions page for further details and potential costs.
We encourage engagement with and sharing of our research—falling within 'fair usage'—but ask that you credit Somerset & Wood as author if quoting or reproducing our text. For written publication please contact us regarding permissions. Any unauthorised copying will constitute an infringement of copyright.
We sell on a number of online marketplaces (eBay, Etsy) to optimise our global reach.
You will always find the lowest prices on our own website somersetandwood.com
The overheads of selling on other platforms are high, so consequently we greatly appreciate our loyal customers who purchase directly from our website, helping to keep our artwork prices as low as possible. Our website offers full guarantees with PCI payment security, no quibble returns and free delivery worldwide.
