08-11-2019 07:38 AM
Vintage (believed to be hand-painted) artwork, no signature or identification that I can see. Any help would be REALLY appreciated.
Solved! Go to Best Answer
08-12-2019 11:24 AM
So when I looked at it from/with a loupe it looked like a piece of canvas. It also did not look like a print ~ like the colors seem to be blending together. I tried to enlarge a piece of my photo of some trees and this is kinda what it looked like through the loupe.
08-12-2019 12:18 PM
OK Thanks for the extra photos. From what I can now see, I believe it an original watercolor. What you need to do now is take even better pics of the sig and send those pics along with your latest to Christie's & Sotheby's and get free auction estimates from both. No need to pay for an appraisal. You will get a provisional estimate prior to a hand's on inspection. Do you have any provanance? Or a name of the last owner? Send that along with your request.I can't say it is 100% but it's close enough to get the ball rolling.
08-12-2019 12:23 PM
Oh wait! I just saw your last photo and I'm seeing a mechanical printing technique (see all the lines?) unless that is created by your camera. I would hold off on all that I just told you till you resolve if it is a print or original.
08-12-2019 03:22 PM
08-12-2019 03:37 PM - edited 08-12-2019 03:40 PM
@sonomabarn67 wrote:Oh wait! I just saw your last photo and I'm seeing a mechanical printing technique (see all the lines?) unless that is created by your camera. I would hold off on all that I just told you till you resolve if it is a print or original.
This is an enlargement of the top-right corner of the enlarged picture.
@sonomabarn67, are you referring to the squares or U-shapes that seem to be all over the painting? I would be concerned about them as well, although I'm not sure if they are the result of a mechanical printing technique. What technique did you think might have been used?
I thought it was possible that they were a texture in the paper ... not sure I have seen one like that before, but I thought it was a possibility.
@cabin4collections, is this on paper, or some other media? Or is it maybe paper that is stuck down onto something else? (Just guessing.) Can you find an area of paper that doesn't have any paint or ink on it, where you can see the surface of the paper to tell if it is textured?
Looking at the picture of the "back" I'm a bit surprised by the dark tan shade that it appears to be. On second thought, the other rectangle looks like it might be a piece of corrugated(?) cardboard? If there was cardboard pressed against the back of the painting in the frame, then the tan color on the back might be a result of exposure to acid in the cardboard. If that's so, then you should maybe not put it back in the original frame, which appears to be a bit small as well as not using archival mat and backing to protect the painting/print.
08-12-2019 03:48 PM - edited 08-12-2019 03:50 PM
It could be an off-gassing transfer effect like mat burn. I have no idea of the technique but only a hands on inspection can validate what is going on at this point. This why asking for those crystal clear close ups is so important.
08-12-2019 03:53 PM
If the piece is authentic it should look like watercolor paper and watercolor pigment and no lines, dots, & dashes.
08-12-2019 04:30 PM
@argon38 wrote:"An approved valuer for the federal government's Cultural Gifts Program, Hulme admits it is difficult even for an expert to distinguish between an original Namatjira watercolour valued at up to $30,000 and a worthless print."
I would suggest the OP should get in touch with the art consultant mentioned in the above article, given that he invested some time and effort in verifying that the Namatjira watercolour in question was an original work and not a print.
Mr Hulme's contact details:
https://www.acaa.org.au/product-page/david-hulme
His firm's free appraisal page:
08-12-2019 04:31 PM
Yes ... watercolor paper is made with many different kinds of textures, from very smooth to very textured. I thought that possibly the marks that show up in the enlargement might be from the texture of the paper.
I did a google search for < textured watercolor paper > look for pictures to show this. These are just a few examples.
This pictures shows two types of Arches Aquarelle Watercolor Paper, which is a well-known brand.
And three types of Saunders Waterford Watercolour Paper - HP means Hot Pressed (which is quite smooth).
08-12-2019 04:47 PM
All I'm seeing is blurred lines. I do know about screens used in making art papers and the artist was producing when actual rag paper was being produced, but her close up is just bizarre looking. All the more reason to not rely on blurred internet pics and to have it looked at with a human eye. Well that sounds bizarre too.
08-12-2019 05:24 PM