What it does
The National Gallery’s online collection provides painting images, artwork records and research material. Search filters cover artists, periods, media and supports, with eligible images available for noncommercial reuse.
Medium and Support are separate filters: oil describes the paint, while canvas or wood describes what it is painted on. Viewing options switch between the full image and an overview, and results can be sorted by artist or date.
The Sunflowers record, for example, includes its inventory number NG3863, acquisition credit, provenance, exhibition history, bibliography and an audio description. These details help distinguish the Gallery’s painting from other versions of the subject.
Eligible image downloads carry CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 terms, requiring attribution and limiting reuse to noncommercial, unaltered reproductions. Research, private study and internal educational use are free under the stated conditions. Commercial reproduction enquiries go to the National Gallery Company Picture Library. The separate CC0 licence for factual collection data does not extend those freedoms to every painting image.
Strengths
- Medium and support filters help find paintings by materials and technique.
- Artwork records include detailed references and collection history.
Watch out for
- The noncommercial image licence does not permit shared adaptations.
Best for
- Editors and educators researching National Gallery painting reproductions
Sources
- Explore the collection | National Gallery, London (Oct 27, 2026)
- Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers, NG3863 | National Gallery, London (Oct 27, 2026)
- Terms of use | National Gallery, London (Oct 27, 2026)