The term gets used a lot. Every marketplace selling original art mentions it. Fewer explain what it should actually say, what makes one credible, or how to tell a real one from something printed as an afterthought.
If you are buying original art online — especially in India, where the market has grown fast and verification infrastructure has not kept pace — this document is the primary thing standing between you and a purchase you cannot substantiate later.
What It Actually Is
A Letter of Authenticity is a document issued at the time of sale confirming that a specific artwork is an original work by a named artist. Not a print. Not a reproduction. Not a copy made in a studio somewhere. The original physical object — the one you are buying.
A good one is specific to a single work. It is not a general certificate saying an artist exists or is who they claim to be. It names the work, describes it, and ties it to the artist by name and signature.
What It Must Include
The minimum a credible Letter of Authenticity should contain:
- The artist's full name. Not just a signature — a legible printed name alongside the signature.
- The title of the work. If untitled, it should say so clearly, not leave the field blank.
- The medium. Watercolour on paper. Oil on canvas. Acrylic on stretched canvas. The specifics affect conservation, value, and what a future buyer can verify.
- The dimensions. Both artwork dimensions and framed dimensions if applicable.
- The year of completion. Approximate is acceptable for older works, but the closer to exact the better.
- A description of the work. Two or three sentences describing what is depicted. This is what makes the document specific. A certificate that could apply to any painting by this artist is not a certificate for your painting.
- The platform or gallery issuing it. Who is making this claim? A platform that has curated and verified the work carries more weight than a certificate the artist printed at home.
- A reference number. Something that ties back to a record the issuing platform holds.
What Makes One Credible Versus Cosmetic
The test is specificity. A certificate with official-looking language but no dimensions, no title, no description — essentially useless. If it could apply to any painting by this artist, it applies to none of them in particular.
The other test is what happens when you ask questions. Can the platform verify the work against their records? Do they hold the artist's details? Is there a way to trace the work back to its source if you needed to resell or insure it?
At Next Canvas, every artwork ships with a Letter of Authenticity specific to that work. We hold records of every piece sold and can verify any work against those records on request.
Why This Matters More Now
The Indian art market online has grown significantly in the last five years. That has mostly been good — it gave artists reach they did not have and gave buyers access to work they would never have found in a gallery. But it also created conditions where the difference between an original and a high-quality print is not always obvious from a photograph, and where the word "original" gets used loosely.
A Letter of Authenticity does not guarantee value. An original painting by an artist nobody collects is still worth whatever someone will pay for it. What it guarantees is that you are buying what you think you are buying.
That matters at the time of purchase. It matters more if you ever want to resell.
How to Store It
Keep it with the artwork, but not behind the glass in the frame. Store it flat, away from moisture and direct light. If you are building a collection seriously, photograph the certificate alongside the artwork and keep both on file.
Insurance for art in India is more available than most people realise. Insurers will ask for exactly this kind of documentation.
The Short Version
A Letter of Authenticity is only as good as its specificity. Artist name, title, medium, dimensions, year, description of the work, issued by a platform that keeps records — that is meaningful. Everything else is paperwork that looks like documentation without being any.
If the seller cannot tell you what their certificate contains or cannot answer questions about the specific work, that is worth pausing on.
Browse original works at Next Canvas — each piece ships with a detailed, verifiable Letter of Authenticity. View all paintings →
