Feature

What are variants?

If you have ever duplicated an artwork row just to add a second paper size, you have felt the problem variants solve. A variant is one sellable option of a work: same artist and title on the parent, but its own price, stock, dimensions, and storefront listing. One record to describe the work; separate rows for each way it is offered.

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The idea in one sentence

The parent artwork (or publication) holds what is shared: artist, title, year, medium, hero image. Each variant holds what varies: size, paper, edition size, price, quantity on hand, whether it is listed online.

You are not creating a second artwork from scratch. You are saying: *this same work, offered this way for sale.*

Parent artwork with two variants beneath it labelled by size — One parent, multiple variants: shared metadata above, sellable detail below.

Why "variant"?

The name matches how commerce tools talk about product options: the same catalogue entry with different sizes, papers, or SKUs applied. Here, the base is the parent work; the options are how that work is printed, sized, numbered, or stocked.

Galleries might think of it as an edition run or print run. Makers might think of it as a size or SKU. The app uses one word: variant: so both workflows share the same structure underneath.

That is also why we did not call them "child artworks." Duplicating rows forces you to maintain the same title and artist in five places. Variants keep the bibliography in one place and put commerce details where they belong.

Where you see them

Open an Object or Catalogue work and go to the Variants section on Edit. That is where you define product options (for example Size) and the matrix of sellable rows.

Publications use variants too: the book or catalogue is the parent; each print run or format is a variant under Editions / Variants.

Each variant has its own commerce fields: price, shipping, stock, and (for numbered runs) the list of edition copies. Website Studio and the storefront list variants, not duplicate parent rows.

Variants section on an artwork showing two listed options — The Variants section on a parent work.

What belongs on the parent vs a variant

Keep shared story on the parent; keep sellable specifics on the variant.

Parent: artist, title, year, medium, primary photos, exhibition history, shared description.
Variant: option label (paper, size), dimensions if they differ, edition size, price, stock, storefront on/off.
Edition copy (discrete runs only): individual numbered impressions: created automatically; see copy tracking.

When you need one (or several)

You need a variant whenever the same work is offered more than one way: or when a Catalogue work has anything to sell at all, since those parents never checkout on their own.

One painting, nothing else: no variant required; list the Object from Commerce.
Photo in two sizes: two variants on a Catalogue work.
Numbered edition of 25: one discrete variant; copies 1/25…25/25 appear underneath.
Original plus reproduction prints: Object parent; original on Commerce, print run as a variant.

How this fits the other choices

Variants sit in the middle of a short decision chain:

Work type: Object vs Catalogue work: is the parent row itself sellable, or only a master record?
Variant: this guide: what option are you offering (size, run, format)?
Copy tracking: Discrete vs aggregate: does each copy need a number, or just a quantity?

Flowchart from work type to variant to copy tracking — Work type first, then variant, then copy tracking when you add the variant.

FAQ

Is a variant the same as an edition copy?: No. A variant is the run or option (for example "archival print, edition of 25"). Edition copies are the individual numbered impressions inside a discrete variant: 1/25, 2/25, and so on.
Why do some older docs say Configurations?: Same records. The product now calls them variants. The old guide URL `/guides/what-are-configurations` redirects here; you may still see "configuration" in API field names.
Can I add variants to an Object?: Yes. Objects can sell directly and have variants: common for artists who sell the original plus prints.
Do I need a variant for every size on the storefront?: Usually one variant per purchasable option. Three sizes online means three variants, each with its own price and stock.
Where do I set price and list on the storefront?: On each variant's Commerce fields: not on the parent Catalogue work. See online storefront art sales for listing strategy.

Explore the full capability matrix on Features, compare modular plans on Pricing, or contact the team with workflow questions.