Size of pictures

Because we don't know what size frame and mount you want to have us apply to your chosen picture, the dimensions of the pictures which we store are the dimensions of the exposed image. These are our best estimates before framing of what you will see inside the mount or slip once a work is framed.

How pictures are measured

Measuring a painting is a simple matter but needs explaining. Firstly, the work is measured height before width so the first figure you see will be the measurement from top to bottom and the second side to side. This is how we measure a painting but it is not however the exposed image, i.e. what the viewer sees once the image is framed on the wall. This exposed image may be slightly smaller, for example because of the need to hold in an oil painting behind the edge of a slip or because of marginal defects or marks which can be hidden behind a mount.

If you need to know more about the dimensions of our pictures once framed, read on.

If you are looking for a picture to fit a space on your wall:

If you are looking for an oil painting to fit a space on your wall, we suggest you look for pictures which are no larger than approximately 9 centimetres/3½ inches smaller than the space you have, to accommodate the narrowest possible slip and frame.

If on the other hand you are looking for a picture other than an oil painting to fit a space on your wall, we suggest you look for pictures which are no larger than approximately 15 centimetres/6 inches smaller than the space you have, to accommodate the narrowest possible mount and frames.

But if you then choose wider mounts or frames, then you will need to further reduce the size picture that you look for in order to fit more mount or frame into your fixed space.

If you need to assess how much space on your wall will be occupied by a picture which you want:

Firstly, frame your picture in our Frame It section.
Then Hang It on our virtual wall, moving it into a position on the wall that resembles that on your own wall, choosing and positioning as similar furniture as we are able to provide near the picture. This should give you a sense of size and proportion and colour against a representation of your wall.
As an approximation, depending on the framing you choose,

• framed oil paintings will be from 8 to 22 cms (3 to 9 inches) bigger in each dimension than the dimensions we show.
• Other paintings when framed will be   from 16 to 35 cms (6 to 14 inches) higher and 
                                                                   from 15 to 33 cms (6 to 13 inches) wider

Warning: If you have a requirement for an extremely exact measurement, we have to warn you that our expert and highly qualified framers reserve the right to reach their own conclusions of how much of the very edge of pictures to conceal when mounting and framing. Their conclusion may be very slightly different from that of our photographers when they photographed the paintings, resulting in a very slightly different view and size of the painting.


The difference between oil and non-oil paintings is for the following reasons:
oil paintings grow less in size when framed than non-oil paintings because oils are framed with a slip (which adds only 1-2cm all round to the painting), whereas non-oil paintings are mounted (mounts add either 5cms or 7½cms depending on the size you choose).
While oil paintings are framed centrally within their frame, it is normal to mount non-oil paintings with a 1.5cm (2/3”) wider mount at the bottom, leaving the top and sides the same. This is to overcome an optical illusion and help the eyes see the picture as centrally mounted.

How this works in practice: