Structured Data Guide

Shopify Visual Artwork & Collectibles Schema: VisualArtwork JSON-LD for Art Galleries and Print Shops

Q: Should I use VisualArtwork or Product schema for limited edition prints on Shopify?

Use both as separate JSON-LD blocks. VisualArtwork is a subtype of CreativeWork, not a subtype of Product — they are distinct schema.org hierarchies that serve complementary purposes. The Product block handles commerce signals: price, availability, shipping, and seller identity. The VisualArtwork block handles creative identity: artist, medium, edition number, edition size, dimensions, creation date, and surface material. AI shopping agents answering 'limited edition archival prints under $500' or 'oil paintings on canvas by living artists' consume VisualArtwork properties specifically to match and filter. Without VisualArtwork, your print shop listings are indistinguishable from any generic Shopify product.

Q: How does VisualArtwork schema help AI agents discover my art gallery's products?

AI shopping agents (ChatGPT Shopping, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) answering queries like 'archival inkjet prints on cotton rag paper', 'limited edition giclée prints edition of 50', or 'watercolor paintings by female artists' rely on VisualArtwork structured properties to match inventory. The artMedium property answers medium-filter queries. artworkEdition and artEditionSize answer edition-availability queries. artform answers category-filter queries ('photography', 'painting', 'sculpture'). creator with sameAs connects the artist to knowledge graph entities so author-based queries resolve correctly. Without these fields in structured data, the same information buried in product descriptions is invisible to automated systems.

Q: How do I link the artist's identity to the knowledge graph using creator and sameAs?

Set the creator property to a Person object with name and sameAs. The sameAs array should include the artist's Wikipedia article URL (if one exists), their official website URL, and optionally their Instagram or Artsy profile. For example: {"@type": "Person", "name": "Elena Vasquez", "sameAs": ["https://elenavasquezart.com", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Vasquez"]}. The sameAs link allows AI agents and knowledge graph systems to resolve the artist entity — connecting your product pages to the artist's broader presence on the web. For gallery-represented artists without a Wikipedia page, the artist's own website is sufficient as the primary sameAs target.

Q: How do I express an original painting vs. a limited edition print in structured data?

For original paintings, set artworkEdition to 'Original' or 'Unique Work', artEditionSize to 1, and artform to 'Painting'. For limited edition prints, set artworkEdition to the edition designation (e.g., '7 of 50'), artEditionSize to the total edition number (e.g., 50), and artform to 'Limited Edition Print'. The artMedium and artworkSurface properties differentiate the physical process: an original oil painting uses artMedium 'Oil Paint' and artworkSurface 'Canvas', while a giclée print uses artMedium 'Archival Inkjet Print' and artworkSurface 'Hahnemühle Cotton Rag'. AI agents use these distinctions to correctly filter queries like 'original paintings only' or 'limited edition prints under 100 editions'.

Q: What is artworkEdition and how does it differ from artEditionSize?

artworkEdition is the human-readable edition designation string — for example '7 of 50', 'Artist's Proof 3/5', or 'Edition of 100'. It describes the specific copy and its relationship to the total edition. artEditionSize is a numeric Integer representing the total number of copies in the edition — for example 50, 100, or 200. Both properties can coexist: artworkEdition '7 of 50' tells a buyer this is copy number 7 from a run of 50; artEditionSize 50 gives AI agents a machine-readable integer to filter by edition scarcity (e.g., 'small edition prints' vs. 'open edition prints'). For unique original works, set artEditionSize to 1 and artworkEdition to 'Unique Work'.

Art galleries, print shops, and collectible stores on Shopify sell products with rich creative identity — artist name, medium, edition number, creation date, physical dimensions — that are entirely invisible to AI shopping agents when only a Product block is used. VisualArtwork is the correct schema.org type for paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, and digital art sold as products.

TL;DR Add a VisualArtwork JSON-LD block alongside your Product block on art product pages. Essential properties: creator (Person with name and sameAs), artMedium, artworkSurface, artform, artworkEdition, artEditionSize, dateCreated, and width/height via additionalProperty. Store artwork data in Shopify metafields under the artwork namespace and render both blocks from product.liquid.

Why VisualArtwork Schema Is Essential for AI Art Discovery

When someone asks an AI shopping agent "archival giclée prints on cotton rag paper under $300" or "limited edition oil paintings by female artists," the agent needs to resolve three distinct questions about each candidate product:

Is this a visual artwork? (determined by @type: VisualArtwork)
What medium, edition, and format is it? (artMedium, artworkEdition, artform)
What does it cost and can I buy it? (Product with Offer)

Without VisualArtwork structured data, your Shopify art products look identical to a candle or a phone case — generic products with a title, image, and price. The artist attribution, medium, edition scarcity, and physical dimensions that define a work of art are invisible to automated discovery systems.

Google's AI Overviews also surfaces artwork schema in visual and creative product panels. Stores that omit VisualArtwork markup lose these panels and fail to appear for queries where the creative attributes — not just the price — are the primary filter.

VisualArtwork vs. Product: Two Separate JSON-LD Blocks

VisualArtwork is a subtype of CreativeWork, not a subtype of Product. The two types are distinct schema.org hierarchies with different purposes on an art product page:

JSON-LD Block	Type Hierarchy	Answers
`Product`	Thing → Product	Price, availability, condition, shipping, seller, aggregate rating
`VisualArtwork`	Thing → CreativeWork → VisualArtwork	Artist, medium, surface, artform, edition designation, edition size, dimensions, creation date, series

Include both as separate <script type="application/ld+json"> elements on the same product page. The Product block handles commerce; the VisualArtwork block handles creative identity. Neither block replaces the other.

VisualArtwork Properties Reference

Property	Type	Description
`artMedium`	Text	Technique or medium: "Oil Paint", "Watercolor", "Acrylic on Canvas", "Archival Inkjet Print", "Photography", "Charcoal", "Gouache", "Screen Print"
`artworkSurface`	Text	Physical surface: "Canvas", "Paper", "Wood Panel", "Aluminum Dibond", "Archival Cotton Rag", "Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm", "Silk", "Rice Paper"
`artform`	Text	Artwork category: "Painting", "Sculpture", "Photography", "Mixed Media", "Limited Edition Print", "Drawing", "Collage", "Digital Art"
`artworkEdition`	Text	Edition designation string: "7 of 50", "Artist's Proof 3/5", "Edition of 100", "Unique Work"
`artEditionSize`	Integer	Total number of copies in the edition as a numeric integer: 50, 100, 200. Use 1 for unique originals.
`creator`	Person or Organization	The artist who created the work — use a Person object with name and sameAs links to artist website / Wikipedia / Instagram
`dateCreated`	Date or Text	When the artwork was created: "2024-03-15" for a specific date or "2024" for just a year
`width`	Distance	Artwork width using Distance: `{"@type": "Distance", "name": "16 inches"}`
`height`	Distance	Artwork height using Distance: `{"@type": "Distance", "name": "20 inches"}`
`depth`	Distance	Relevant for sculptures or framed works where depth is a meaningful attribute
`isPartOf`	CreativeWork	Collection or series the artwork belongs to: `{"@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Coastal Light Series"}`
`locationCreated`	Place	Where the artwork was made: `{"@type": "Place", "name": "Barcelona, Spain"}`
`copyrightHolder`	Person or Organization	Rights holder — typically the artist or the gallery that holds reproduction rights
`license`	URL	Copyright or usage rights URL — e.g., a Creative Commons license or a custom rights statement page
`image`	ImageObject	Photograph of the artwork with url, width, height in pixels
`description`	Text	Artwork statement, provenance notes, or exhibition history

Expressing Artwork Dimensions

Schema.org Distance is loosely typed — it uses a name string for human-readable display. For numeric filtering (e.g., "prints under 18 inches wide"), use additionalProperty with PropertyValue objects instead. The recommended approach is to use both:

Distance approach (human-readable display)

"width": {
  "@type": "Distance",
  "name": "16 inches"
},
"height": {
  "@type": "Distance",
  "name": "20 inches"
}

additionalProperty approach (numeric filtering, recommended)

"additionalProperty": [
  {
    "@type": "PropertyValue",
    "name": "Width",
    "value": 16,
    "unitCode": "INH",
    "unitText": "inches"
  },
  {
    "@type": "PropertyValue",
    "name": "Height",
    "value": 20,
    "unitCode": "INH",
    "unitText": "inches"
  }
]

The additionalProperty approach with UN/CEFACT unitCode values (INH for inches, CMT for centimeters) gives AI agents machine-readable numeric values they can use for range filtering. Use Distance.name for the top-level width/height properties (human display), and add additionalProperty entries with numeric values for filterable dimensions.

Complete JSON-LD Example: Limited Edition Giclée Print

The following example shows both blocks for a limited edition archival inkjet print — edition 7 of 50, 16×20 inches, printed on Hahnemühle cotton rag paper by artist Elena Vasquez.

/* ── Product block (commerce signals) ───────────────────────────── */
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Golden Hour — Limited Edition Giclée Print",
  "description": "Archival inkjet print from Elena Vasquez's Coastal Light Series. Edition 7 of 50, hand-signed and numbered. Printed on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm cotton rag paper with archival pigment inks rated 100+ years.",
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://your-gallery.myshopify.com/cdn/shop/products/golden-hour-print.jpg",
    "width": 1200,
    "height": 1500
  },
  "brand": {
    "@type": "Brand",
    "name": "Elena Vasquez Studio"
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "425.00",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
    "url": "https://your-gallery.myshopify.com/products/golden-hour-giclee-print",
    "itemCondition": "https://schema.org/NewCondition",
    "seller": {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "name": "Vasquez Studio Gallery"
    }
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.9",
    "reviewCount": "38",
    "bestRating": "5"
  }
}

/* ── VisualArtwork block (creative identity) ─────────────────────── */
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VisualArtwork",
  "name": "Golden Hour",
  "description": "Coastal seascape capturing warm afternoon light over the Catalan coast. Part of the Coastal Light Series painted in Barcelona, 2024.",
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://your-gallery.myshopify.com/cdn/shop/products/golden-hour-print.jpg",
    "width": 1200,
    "height": 1500
  },
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Elena Vasquez",
    "sameAs": [
      "https://elenavasquezart.com",
      "https://www.instagram.com/elenavasquezart/"
    ]
  },
  "artMedium": "Archival Inkjet Print",
  "artworkSurface": "Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm Cotton Rag",
  "artform": "Limited Edition Print",
  "artworkEdition": "7 of 50",
  "artEditionSize": 50,
  "dateCreated": "2024",
  "width": {
    "@type": "Distance",
    "name": "16 inches"
  },
  "height": {
    "@type": "Distance",
    "name": "20 inches"
  },
  "additionalProperty": [
    {
      "@type": "PropertyValue",
      "name": "Width",
      "value": 16,
      "unitCode": "INH",
      "unitText": "inches"
    },
    {
      "@type": "PropertyValue",
      "name": "Height",
      "value": 20,
      "unitCode": "INH",
      "unitText": "inches"
    }
  ],
  "isPartOf": {
    "@type": "CreativeWork",
    "name": "Coastal Light Series"
  },
  "locationCreated": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "Barcelona, Spain"
  },
  "copyrightHolder": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Elena Vasquez"
  },
  "url": "https://your-gallery.myshopify.com/products/golden-hour-giclee-print"
}

Original Painting Example

For an original unique painting, set artEditionSize to 1 and artworkEdition to "Unique Work". The artMedium and artworkSurface reflect the painting materials rather than print materials:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VisualArtwork",
  "name": "Storm Front Over the Pyrenees",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Elena Vasquez",
    "sameAs": [
      "https://elenavasquezart.com",
      "https://www.instagram.com/elenavasquezart/"
    ]
  },
  "artMedium": "Oil Paint",
  "artworkSurface": "Linen Canvas",
  "artform": "Painting",
  "artworkEdition": "Unique Work",
  "artEditionSize": 1,
  "dateCreated": "2023-11-04",
  "width": {
    "@type": "Distance",
    "name": "24 inches"
  },
  "height": {
    "@type": "Distance",
    "name": "30 inches"
  },
  "additionalProperty": [
    {
      "@type": "PropertyValue",
      "name": "Width",
      "value": 24,
      "unitCode": "INH",
      "unitText": "inches"
    },
    {
      "@type": "PropertyValue",
      "name": "Height",
      "value": 30,
      "unitCode": "INH",
      "unitText": "inches"
    }
  ],
  "locationCreated": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "Barcelona, Spain"
  },
  "copyrightHolder": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Elena Vasquez"
  }
}

Shopify Liquid Template: VisualArtwork + Product JSON-LD

Store artwork properties in Shopify metafields under the artwork namespace. The Liquid template reads these fields and renders both the Product block and the VisualArtwork block from product.liquid.

{% comment %} product.liquid — VisualArtwork JSON-LD alongside Product JSON-LD {% endcomment %}

{% assign artwork_medium = product.metafields.artwork.medium.value %}
{% if artwork_medium %}

<!-- Product block (commerce signals) -->
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": {{ product.title | json }},
  "description": {{ product.description | strip_html | truncate: 500 | json }},
  "image": {{ product.featured_image | image_url: width: 1200 | prepend: 'https:' | json }},
  "brand": {
    "@type": "Brand",
    "name": {{ product.metafields.artwork.artist_name.value | default: shop.name | json }}
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": {{ product.price | money_without_currency | json }},
    "priceCurrency": {{ cart.currency.iso_code | json }},
    "availability": {% if product.available %}"https://schema.org/InStock"{% else %}"https://schema.org/OutOfStock"{% endif %},
    "url": "https://{{ shop.domain }}{{ product.url }}",
    "itemCondition": "https://schema.org/NewCondition",
    "seller": {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "name": {{ shop.name | json }}
    }
  }
  {% if product.metafields.reviews.rating %}
  ,"aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "{{ product.metafields.reviews.rating.value }}",
    "reviewCount": "{{ product.metafields.reviews.rating_count.value }}",
    "bestRating": "5"
  }
  {% endif %}
}
</script>

<!-- VisualArtwork block (creative identity) -->
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VisualArtwork",
  "name": {{ product.title | json }},
  "description": {{ product.description | strip_html | truncate: 500 | json }},
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https:{{ product.featured_image | image_url: width: 1200 }}",
    "width": 1200
  },
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": {{ product.metafields.artwork.artist_name.value | json }}
    {% if product.metafields.artwork.artist_url.value %}
    ,"sameAs": [{{ product.metafields.artwork.artist_url.value | json }}]
    {% endif %}
  },
  "artMedium": {{ artwork_medium | json }},
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.surface.value %}
  "artworkSurface": {{ product.metafields.artwork.surface.value | json }},
  {% endif %}
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.artform.value %}
  "artform": {{ product.metafields.artwork.artform.value | json }},
  {% endif %}
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.edition.value %}
  "artworkEdition": {{ product.metafields.artwork.edition.value | json }},
  {% endif %}
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.edition_size.value %}
  "artEditionSize": {{ product.metafields.artwork.edition_size.value }},
  {% endif %}
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.date_created.value %}
  "dateCreated": {{ product.metafields.artwork.date_created.value | date: "%Y-%m-%d" | json }},
  {% endif %}
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.width_in.value %}
  "width": {
    "@type": "Distance",
    "name": "{{ product.metafields.artwork.width_in.value }} inches"
  },
  "height": {
    "@type": "Distance",
    "name": "{{ product.metafields.artwork.height_in.value }} inches"
  },
  "additionalProperty": [
    {
      "@type": "PropertyValue",
      "name": "Width",
      "value": {{ product.metafields.artwork.width_in.value }},
      "unitCode": "INH",
      "unitText": "inches"
    },
    {
      "@type": "PropertyValue",
      "name": "Height",
      "value": {{ product.metafields.artwork.height_in.value }},
      "unitCode": "INH",
      "unitText": "inches"
    }
  ],
  {% endif %}
  {% if product.metafields.artwork.certificate.value %}
  "description": {{ product.metafields.artwork.certificate.value | json }},
  {% endif %}
  "url": "https://{{ shop.domain }}{{ product.url }}"
}
</script>

{% endif %}

Artwork metafields reference

Metafield key	Type	Example value	Maps to
`artwork.medium`	Single-line text	"Archival Inkjet Print"	`artMedium`
`artwork.surface`	Single-line text	"Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm Cotton Rag"	`artworkSurface`
`artwork.artform`	Single-line text	"Limited Edition Print"	`artform`
`artwork.edition`	Single-line text	"7 of 50"	`artworkEdition`
`artwork.edition_size`	Integer	50	`artEditionSize`
`artwork.artist_name`	Single-line text	"Elena Vasquez"	`creator.name`
`artwork.artist_url`	Single-line text (URL)	"https://elenavasquezart.com"	`creator.sameAs`
`artwork.date_created`	Date	"2024-03-15"	`dateCreated`
`artwork.width_in`	Decimal	16.0	`width` / `additionalProperty`
`artwork.height_in`	Decimal	20.0	`height` / `additionalProperty`
`artwork.is_original`	Boolean	false	Controls artform / artworkEdition defaults
`artwork.certificate`	Single-line text	"Hand-signed certificate of authenticity included"	`description` (provenance note)

Common VisualArtwork Schema Mistakes on Shopify

Mistake	Effect on AI Discovery	Fix
Using only `Product` @type with no `VisualArtwork` block	Artist name, medium, and edition number are invisible to AI agents handling art discovery queries — the product is treated as a generic item	Add a separate `VisualArtwork` JSON-LD block alongside the `Product` block; both must be present for full coverage
Putting "Limited Edition Print 7/50" in the product title but not in structured `artworkEdition`	AI agents can't filter by edition availability — "small edition prints" and "open edition prints" queries miss your listings entirely	Set `artworkEdition` to "7 of 50" and `artEditionSize` to 50 as structured properties; don't rely on title parsing
Setting `creator` to a plain string instead of a `Person` or `Organization` object	The artist entity is not linkable to the knowledge graph; author-based queries ("prints by Elena Vasquez") resolve poorly	Use `{"@type": "Person", "name": "Elena Vasquez", "sameAs": ["https://elenavasquezart.com"]}` — a typed object with `sameAs`
Using the gallery as `creator` instead of the individual artist	Misattribution confuses AI entity linking — the gallery is the seller, not the creator of the artwork	Set `creator` to the artist's `Person` object; use the `Product` block's `seller` or `brand` for the gallery identity
Omitting `artMedium` entirely	Queries like "archival print on cotton rag" or "oil painting on canvas" require this field — without it, medium-specific queries won't surface your listings	Populate `artMedium` from the `artwork.medium` metafield; it is the single most important VisualArtwork property after `creator`

artMedium and artworkSurface Reference Values

These are not schema.org enumerations — they are free-text strings. Use specific, industry-standard terminology so AI agents can match medium-filter queries accurately:

artMedium value	artworkSurface value	Typical artform
"Oil Paint"	"Linen Canvas" or "Cotton Canvas"	"Painting"
"Watercolor"	"Arches 300gsm Hot Press Paper"	"Painting"
"Acrylic on Canvas"	"Canvas"	"Painting"
"Archival Inkjet Print"	"Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm Cotton Rag"	"Limited Edition Print"
"Archival Inkjet Print"	"Aluminum Dibond"	"Limited Edition Print"
"Photography"	"Archival Baryta Paper"	"Photography"
"Screen Print"	"Somerset Velvet 400gsm"	"Limited Edition Print"
"Charcoal"	"Fabriano 300gsm Paper"	"Drawing"
"Gouache"	"Illustration Board"	"Painting"
"Digital Print"	"Silk"	"Limited Edition Print"

CatalogScan VisualArtwork Schema Checks

CatalogScan's AI Readiness scan detects Shopify stores in art gallery, print shop, and collectibles categories and checks for VisualArtwork JSON-LD alongside standard Product blocks. Stores missing VisualArtwork markup on art products receive a creative-signal gap warning. The scan validates: creator structure (Person vs. plain string), artMedium presence, artworkEdition format, artEditionSize as a numeric integer, and dimension data via additionalProperty PropertyValue objects.

FAQ

Should I use VisualArtwork or Product schema for limited edition prints on Shopify?

Use both as separate JSON-LD blocks. Product handles commerce signals (price, availability, shipping). VisualArtwork handles creative identity (artist, medium, edition, dimensions, creation date). Neither replaces the other — AI agents and Google consume both independently to answer purchase-intent and art-discovery queries.

How does VisualArtwork schema help AI agents discover my art gallery's products?

AI agents answering queries like "archival prints on cotton rag under $400" or "limited edition oil paintings edition under 50" use VisualArtwork properties — artMedium, artworkEdition, artEditionSize, artform — to match and filter inventory. Without these structured fields, the same information buried in product descriptions is invisible to automated discovery systems.

How do I link the artist's identity to the knowledge graph using creator and sameAs?

Set creator to a Person object with name and a sameAs array. Include the artist's official website URL and their Wikipedia article URL if one exists. This lets AI agent knowledge graph systems resolve the artist entity — connecting your product pages to the artist's broader web presence and enabling artist-name queries to surface your listings reliably.

How do I express an original painting vs. a limited edition print in structured data?

For original paintings: set artworkEdition to "Unique Work", artEditionSize to 1, artMedium to "Oil Paint" (or appropriate medium), artworkSurface to "Linen Canvas", and artform to "Painting". For limited edition prints: set artworkEdition to "7 of 50", artEditionSize to 50, artMedium to "Archival Inkjet Print", artworkSurface to the specific paper, and artform to "Limited Edition Print".

What is artworkEdition and how does it differ from artEditionSize?

artworkEdition is the human-readable edition string — "7 of 50", "Artist's Proof 3/5", or "Edition of 100" — describing this specific copy's place in the edition. artEditionSize is the total edition number as a machine-readable integer — 50, 100, or 1 for unique originals. AI agents use artEditionSize for numeric filtering ("small edition prints" means low artEditionSize); artworkEdition is for display and provenance verification.