diff --git a/core/artwork/artwork_test.go b/core/artwork/artwork_test.go
index c58a0fe4e..c6b848101 100644
--- a/core/artwork/artwork_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/artwork_test.go
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Artwork", func() {
 
 			// Deleting the store file proves the warm entry serves without touching the original.
 			hash, _ := hashImage(bytes.NewReader(coverBytes))
-			Expect(store.Remove(hash, "image/jpeg", time.Now().Add(time.Hour))).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(os.Remove(store.path(hash, "image/jpeg"))).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				img2, err := svc.Get(ctx, model.MustParseArtworkID("al-al1"), 100, false)
 				g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
diff --git a/core/artwork/image_store.go b/core/artwork/image_store.go
index 5ec2df294..5dbe727e4 100644
--- a/core/artwork/image_store.go
+++ b/core/artwork/image_store.go
@@ -108,33 +108,11 @@ func (s *ImageStore) Open(hash, mimeType string) (io.ReadCloser, error) {
 	return os.Open(s.path(hash, mimeType))
 }
 
-// Remove skips files newer than olderThan: an overlapping acquisition may not have committed its row yet.
-func (s *ImageStore) Remove(hash, mimeType string, olderThan time.Time) error {
-	if !validHash(hash) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("imagestore: invalid hash %q", hash)
-	}
-	path := s.path(hash, mimeType)
-	info, err := os.Stat(path)
-	if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
-		return nil
-	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	if info.ModTime().After(olderThan) {
-		return nil
-	}
-	err = os.Remove(path)
-	if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
-		return nil
-	}
-	return err
-}
-
 // Sweep removes store files not accepted by keep. Files modified after cutoff are always
 // kept: their acquisition row may not be committed yet.
 func (s *ImageStore) Sweep(ctx context.Context, cutoff time.Time, keep func(hash, ext string) bool) (int, error) {
-	removed := 0
+	removed, failed := 0, 0
+	var lastErr error
 	err := filepath.WalkDir(s.root, func(path string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
 		if err != nil || d.IsDir() {
 			return err
@@ -159,13 +137,17 @@ func (s *ImageStore) Sweep(ctx context.Context, cutoff time.Time, keep func(hash
 			// #nosec G122 -- path comes from WalkDir over our own store root, no attacker-controlled symlinks
 			if err := os.Remove(path); err != nil {
 				// One unremovable file must not strand the rest of the store until the next prune.
-				log.Warn(ctx, "Artwork: Could not remove store file", "path", path, err)
-				return nil
+				failed, lastErr = failed+1, err
+				return nil //nolint:nilerr // counted and reported in aggregate below
 			}
 			removed++
 		}
 		return nil
 	})
+	// Aggregated: a store that has gone read-only would otherwise warn once per file, every prune.
+	if failed > 0 {
+		log.Warn(ctx, "Artwork: Could not remove store files", "count", failed, "swept", removed, lastErr)
+	}
 	if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
 		return removed, nil
 	}
diff --git a/core/artwork/image_store_test.go b/core/artwork/image_store_test.go
index 975194c6d..f7b2467ca 100644
--- a/core/artwork/image_store_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/image_store_test.go
@@ -99,41 +99,14 @@ var _ = Describe("ImageStore", func() {
 		Expect(os.IsNotExist(err)).To(BeTrue())
 	})
 
-	It("removes without error when already gone", func() {
-		Expect(store.Remove("beefbeefbeefbeef", "image/jpeg", time.Now())).To(Succeed())
-	})
-
 	It("rejects invalid hashes instead of panicking", func() {
 		for _, h := range []string{"", "ab", "BEEFBEEFBEEFBEEF", "../../../../etcpw", "beefbeefbeefbee/"} {
 			Expect(store.Write(h, "image/jpeg", bytes.NewReader([]byte("x")))).To(MatchError(ContainSubstring("invalid hash")))
 			_, err := store.Open(h, "image/jpeg")
 			Expect(err).To(MatchError(ContainSubstring("invalid hash")))
-			Expect(store.Remove(h, "image/jpeg", time.Now())).To(MatchError(ContainSubstring("invalid hash")))
 		}
 	})
 
-	It("spares a file newer than the cutoff, removes an aged one", func() {
-		fresh := []byte("fresh")
-		hf, _ := hashImage(bytes.NewReader(fresh))
-		Expect(store.Write(hf, "image/jpeg", bytes.NewReader(fresh))).To(Succeed())
-
-		aged := []byte("aged")
-		ha, _ := hashImage(bytes.NewReader(aged))
-		Expect(store.Write(ha, "image/jpeg", bytes.NewReader(aged))).To(Succeed())
-		old := time.Now().Add(-2 * time.Hour)
-		Expect(os.Chtimes(store.path(ha, "image/jpeg"), old, old)).To(Succeed())
-
-		cutoff := time.Now().Add(-time.Hour)
-		Expect(store.Remove(hf, "image/jpeg", cutoff)).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(store.Remove(ha, "image/jpeg", cutoff)).To(Succeed())
-
-		rc, err := store.Open(hf, "image/jpeg")
-		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-		rc.Close()
-		_, err = store.Open(ha, "image/jpeg")
-		Expect(os.IsNotExist(err)).To(BeTrue())
-	})
-
 	It("sweeps unknown files, keeps known ones", func() {
 		d1 := []byte("keep-me")
 		h1, _ := hashImage(bytes.NewReader(d1))
diff --git a/core/artwork/prune.go b/core/artwork/prune.go
index 9d00bdfec..c79458b8f 100644
--- a/core/artwork/prune.go
+++ b/core/artwork/prune.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func prune(ctx context.Context, ds model.DataStore, store *ImageStore) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	if orphans > 0 {
-		log.Info(ctx, "Artwork: Removed orphan images", "count", orphans)
+		log.Info(ctx, "Artwork: Removed orphan image rows", "count", orphans)
 	}
 
 	// Read after the delete, so the sweep below reclaims the files of the rows just removed.
diff --git a/core/artwork/prune_test.go b/core/artwork/prune_test.go
index 5643bb45b..8b8504f89 100644
--- a/core/artwork/prune_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/prune_test.go
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Prune", func() {
 
 		// A read-only shard directory makes os.Remove fail (EACCES) for hb's file only.
 		shardDir := filepath.Dir(store.path(hb, "image/jpeg"))
+		Expect(shardDir).ToNot(Equal(filepath.Dir(store.path(hg, "image/jpeg"))), "fixtures must land in different shards")
 		Expect(os.Chmod(shardDir, 0500)).To(Succeed())
 		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = os.Chmod(shardDir, 0755) })