Scope the assignment
Linda confirms the purpose, users, deadlines, object list, location, and fee structure before work begins.
Fine Arts Appraiser
E. Linda Poras
Accredited appraisals for insurance, donation, and estates — AAA accredited, USPAP-compliant, serving New England and South Florida.
Accredited Member · Appraisers Association of America
StandardsUSPAP reports
TrainingNYU + Harvard
PracticeInsurance, IRS, estates
RegionsNew England + South Florida
Start with the reason
What do you need appraised, and why?
The purpose of an appraisal determines its method, its format, and who will accept it. Insurance, donation, estate, sale, and advisory assignments each require a different definition of value. Start with yours.
01 Insurance Appraisals Retail Replacement Value appraisals your insurer will accept — RRV, not purchase price. For new coverage, renewals every 3–5 years, acquisitions, and claims. View →02 Charitable Donation Appraisals IRS-qualified appraisals for 501(c)(3) gifts: Form 8283, documented comps, coordinated with the institution and your lawyer. View →03 Estate Appraisals Date-of-death and fair-market valuations for executors, attorneys, families, and equitable distribution — estate work, not probate. View →04 Collections Consulting Curatorial advice on building, documenting, managing, and letting works go — informed by gallery and auction relationships. View →05 What Is My Painting Worth? Send photos for a preliminary opinion. An appraisal is a value opinion for a stated purpose — not authentication. View →
What you receive
A report built for the person who has to rely on it.
Every assignment is grounded in object inspection, condition notes, market research, and a written report built for the institution, insurer, attorney, collector, or accountant who needs to accept the valuation.
Object descriptions
Condition notes
Photographs
Market analysis
Valuation approach
Signed certification
How it works
A USPAP-documented process from first question to final report.
Inspect and document
Works are examined, photographed, measured, and documented with attention to labels, signatures, condition, and provenance.
Research the market
Comparable sales, retail replacement sources, exhibition history, and relevant scholarship shape the final valuation.
Deliver the report
The final report is delivered as a PDF you can share with insurers, counsel, or family. Printed copies are available at an additional cost.
Credentials
Trained where the standards are set.
Appraisal is a discipline, not a guess. Linda's valuations rest on formal training in appraisal studies at NYU, graduate study in art history at Harvard, current USPAP compliance, and accreditation by the Appraisers Association of America.
Before appraising collections, she directed an art studio and gallery complex and curated museum exhibitions — on the other side of the acquisitions and reports she now prepares.
Read about E. Linda Poras →
NYU Appraisal Studies Harvard Graduate Study AAA Accredited USPAP-Compliant Gallery Director Curator's Eye
Client reviews
Recent client reviews of my work
Her work is consistently thorough, professional, and prompt. Linda is a joy to work with, and I frequently recommend her to museum patrons, art collectors, and colleagues.
Nick Capasso, Director
The most comprehensive and well organized report, very well written, methodically structured and most impressive.
Michael H. Lally, Executive Director
We were in doubt at first because the value of one of our paintings seemed so high. But after she introduced us to a colleague at Christie's, they were able to bring in the amount she had quoted. We were thrilled, needless to say.
Hilary Chaplain
An incredibly thorough investigation, exceptionally well-written, as though it were a museum catalogue essay, not just an appraisal for the IRS.
Peggy Gillespie
Before we begin
Questions people ask before their first appraisal.
What's the difference between an appraisal and an authentication?
An appraisal is an opinion of value for a stated purpose — not a certificate of authenticity or forensic authentication. I do not authenticate works. I do consult catalogue raisonnés and artist foundations to see whether a piece is recognized in the artist’s oeuvre, and I review provenance when it is available. If a work is not documented in those sources, I will say so and advise on next steps before a formal valuation proceeds. That basis is stated clearly in the report.
How do you charge?
Professional appraisal standards require billing by the hour — never a percentage of the art’s value — so the valuation stays independent. That covers outreach to auction houses and galleries for comparables, conversations with specialists, analysis of an artist’s market, a written explanation of each figure, a USPAP-format report, high-resolution photographs, an artist biography, sources used, and delivery as a shareable PDF. Printed copies are available at an additional cost. Contact me for current rates.
How long does an appraisal take?
It depends on the scope of the appraisal — how many works, how much research is required, and your deadline. Tell me what you need and when; insurance renewals and filing dates can usually be met.
Can you appraise from photographs?
For a preliminary opinion, yes. Certified appraisals for insurance, donation, or estate purposes normally require in-person inspection. Staff members visit your home to measure, record condition, and photograph the works — it is not always necessary for me to make every site visit myself.
What should I prepare?
Whatever you have: purchase records, prior appraisals, exhibition history, correspondence, photos including the back of the work. Gaps are normal.
Not sure which appraisal you need?