What can you tell me about this old painting?
September 5, 2015 12:07 PM Subscribe
This is a picture that I just acquired. I'm wondering what you can tell me about it.
Oil on canvas, 10" x 12". Looks like a 19th century British landscape to me. No signature, other than a tiny mark in yellow paint that might be a name and might be a date.
The surface looks like it has been cleaned, possibly even over-cleaned, particularly in comparison to the colour and aging of the reverse.
Does anybody recognize this painter? Thanks!
Oil on canvas, 10" x 12". Looks like a 19th century British landscape to me. No signature, other than a tiny mark in yellow paint that might be a name and might be a date.
The surface looks like it has been cleaned, possibly even over-cleaned, particularly in comparison to the colour and aging of the reverse.
Does anybody recognize this painter? Thanks!
I thought I wrote a long and academic reply, but it is somehow lost.
Short version: You have acquired a beautiful and possibly very valuable painting, and you should get yourself to a museum to get it evaluated for insurance purposes.
In my view, it is more likely Flemish, but this is not at all my field of expertise.
That particular style is one that often has been forged. When I see forged paintings, I believe I can see through the game right away, but time and time again excellent colleagues are run over by smart manipulators. So again, it must be evaluated by an expert who knows all the (Flemish?) painters and the chemical properties of the oil-colors.
posted by mumimor at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2015
Short version: You have acquired a beautiful and possibly very valuable painting, and you should get yourself to a museum to get it evaluated for insurance purposes.
In my view, it is more likely Flemish, but this is not at all my field of expertise.
That particular style is one that often has been forged. When I see forged paintings, I believe I can see through the game right away, but time and time again excellent colleagues are run over by smart manipulators. So again, it must be evaluated by an expert who knows all the (Flemish?) painters and the chemical properties of the oil-colors.
posted by mumimor at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2015
Those yellow marks are not a signature, they're in the wrong place for that.
I'm going to agree with you that it's an English landscape. Probably mid 19th century and of a pretty common variety. Have a look at this pair, a similar subject and style. That page references an artist named Edwin Cole who worked in style. See for example these: 1 2 3 4. But keep in mind many artists were knocking out stuff like this at the time. The oxcart might be a key, if you peruse Google images of English landscapes, you might very well run into another instance of it. It looks like the kind of quick thing the artist would toss in to add a little life to the picture. But to me that cart doesn't demonstrate any skill — the way it's painted it looks like he's done it a dozen times in different pictures.
By the way that structure with the poles leaning against it looks like a charcoal kiln. But then there's a millstone leaning against it, and a stork's nest sticking out of it. Maybe all added for picturesque effect just like the oxcart.
posted by beagle at 1:46 PM on September 5, 2015
I'm going to agree with you that it's an English landscape. Probably mid 19th century and of a pretty common variety. Have a look at this pair, a similar subject and style. That page references an artist named Edwin Cole who worked in style. See for example these: 1 2 3 4. But keep in mind many artists were knocking out stuff like this at the time. The oxcart might be a key, if you peruse Google images of English landscapes, you might very well run into another instance of it. It looks like the kind of quick thing the artist would toss in to add a little life to the picture. But to me that cart doesn't demonstrate any skill — the way it's painted it looks like he's done it a dozen times in different pictures.
By the way that structure with the poles leaning against it looks like a charcoal kiln. But then there's a millstone leaning against it, and a stork's nest sticking out of it. Maybe all added for picturesque effect just like the oxcart.
posted by beagle at 1:46 PM on September 5, 2015
The paint application is thin and brushy, making it seem like a later painting to me. (No one was doing such abstract work until the 1870s, even then you would be hard pressed to find a painter laying it on so thin... notice how the texture of the canvas peeks through, which is uncommon for old paintings.) Also I would not assume this is oil paint. Acrylic paint came on the commercial market around the 1960s. I like several parts of this painting except the birds, which seem too cutesy.
posted by nologo at 2:22 PM on September 5, 2015
posted by nologo at 2:22 PM on September 5, 2015
American museums will generally decline to appraise work as it invites conflicts of interest. They may be able to direct you to local appraisers or you can go to www.appraisers.org and use their Find An Appraiser tool. Or you may wish to contact a good gallery that sells similar work to this to ask if they do appraisals or could steer you to an expert. Gather all the information you have on the provenance of the work; it will be helpful.
posted by PussKillian at 2:23 PM on September 5, 2015
posted by PussKillian at 2:23 PM on September 5, 2015
Looking at the back, I think that is unbleached linen, not canvas. Pretty serious stretch job for such a small painting. The chalk on the back might be an old form of notation that means 54 divided by 6, odd. Maybe you could date that?
posted by Mr. Yuck at 4:36 PM on September 5, 2015
posted by Mr. Yuck at 4:36 PM on September 5, 2015
On the back, the 54/6 (or 154/6? It's unclear) could be old-form English currency notation, perhaps? 54 shillings sixpence, or similar.
It looks vaguely Flemish or English to me. Based on the way the back is put together, I agree that it looks old. However, old does not necessarily mean valuable -- the Victorian era saw a lot of painters working in popular styles to provide paintings for the tourist trade.
If you have an appraiser in your area, there's no harm in taking it in and seeing what they think.
posted by pie ninja at 6:15 PM on September 5, 2015
It looks vaguely Flemish or English to me. Based on the way the back is put together, I agree that it looks old. However, old does not necessarily mean valuable -- the Victorian era saw a lot of painters working in popular styles to provide paintings for the tourist trade.
If you have an appraiser in your area, there's no harm in taking it in and seeing what they think.
posted by pie ninja at 6:15 PM on September 5, 2015
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(Not an art expert, just had a copy of the Hay Wain in our hallway growing up.)
posted by dogsbody at 12:49 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]