Journal
Can a fine art appraisal be done from photographs?
Photographs are enough to decide whether a certified appraisal is worthwhile. They are not enough to certify retail replacement or fair market value.
Photographs can start a fine art appraisal. They cannot finish a certified one.
Clear images of the front, the reverse, the signature, labels, and a tape measure in the frame will show whether a site visit is worth the fee. That review is a conversation. It is not a USPAP report.
Why inspection is required
Insurance, charitable-donation, and estate reports require someone competent to see the object. Condition cannot be judged from a JPEG. The reverse of a canvas is where identification often lives. A certification that pretends those things were seen, when they were not, is not a professional appraisal.
Staff visits
The signing appraiser does not always have to be the person in the doorway. Staff can measure, photograph, and record condition under a stated method. The market research, the writing, and the certification remain the signing appraiser.