Last updated: October 2026 · Method: compiled from public listings and traveller reports; treat figures as planning aids, not quotations.
📄 Image slot — insurance paperwork and declared-value forms beside packed paintings.
Insure a purchased painting for its invoice value, declare it honestly as new artwork, and photograph it before packing: those three steps are the whole insurance file, and they turn a shipping dispute into a settled claim.
The insurance file
- Declared value: the invoice is the claim document, so the insured figure should match it. Ask the shop for a proper invoice naming artist, size and medium, and check which of the price tiers the piece sits in before agreeing the paperwork.
- The declarations: new, made-to-order art exports freely, while anything old enough to read as an antique falls under India’s antiquities rules and needs honest declaration; a hidden antique in the crate is the expensive mistake.
- The photo record: photograph face, back, edges and frame before wrapping. For commissions, progress photos are part of the deal per the commission process, and the same images document condition for the insurer.
- The courier layer: the courier guide covers packing and carrier choice, and its liability note matters here, because carrier cover is usually weight-based and far below art value, which is why separate declared-value cover exists.
The same file works for pieces shipped onward from the region, per the Jaisalmer shipping note. Keep the invoice with you rather than in the crate, and any claim takes days instead of months.