An old master, or just a paint by number?

The History Detectives Team | August 24, 2009 6:19 AM | 3 Responses

In this week’s episode, History Detective Elyse Luray investigated some mural studies that may be connected to President Roosevelt’s New Deal arts program. Elyse’s search required her to find out more about the artist and led to some interesting connections to the celebrated Mexican mural painter Diego Rivera. You can find out more about the story here.

So how do you investigate art? Start by examining the artwork, looking at its size, colouring and frame. Are there any marks that identify the artist or the name of the piece - a signature, title, copyright or studio imprints? You can use a magnifying glass or jeweller’s loupe to look for finer details and a UV or “black light” to look for repairs or small alterations. Look for clues in the techniques used to create your artwork; painting styles, the type of paint and even the use of colour can be all be used when trying to date a painting.

Watch out for an overall green glow which is the hallmark of a masking varnish and paper glued over the back of a painting, which often hides evidence of tampering or damage. Also, when analysing work from the 19th century, watch out for chromolithographs that appear to be oil paintings. A chromolithograph is a technique of producing images, available to the middle classes in the 19th century, which uses rich layers of colour that can easily fool the untrained eye. Use a magnifying glass to examine the colors in a light area of tone. If you can see a random arrangement of irregular-sized dots you have a chromolithograph.

If it is a piece that has been given to you, find out the known history. Where was it bought and how much did it cost? Perhaps you have an item that has been passed down through the family. Asking previous owners or family members can reveal interesting facts and stories.

If your piece has any markings that identify the artist, the next port of call is a local library or online search. See if you can find any more information about your artist, like their history, other work, sales and auction information or even any exhibitions they have been in. Maybe they were a key part of a movement or you have a rare piece?

As with other types of investigation, you may want to consult an expert. You can find out more about finding experts here You may also want to run some tests on your item. If your item is old and potentially valuable, you may want to consider carbon dating it to find out how old it actually is. In some cases the opinion of an expert may not agree with the evidence you have and you will have to get an additional opinion or carry out more tests. Ultimately you will have to use your own judgement to make a decision.

Remember, when attempting to authenticate your artwork you should not be expecting to prove it is by an artist but to disprove if it is.

Have you got artwork that you’ve examined? What did you discover? Do you have any tips? We would like to know. Let us know in the form below.

You can also join our Facebook group where you can meet other fans and share information.

Find Out More:

Investigation - WPA Mural Studies

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Comments

Several years ago, I purchased a very large oil painting at a Good Will Store for $12.99. It is a scene of a horsedrawn cab crossing a bridge in Paris France (the tower is in the background). It is done in mostly black except for a tree which has yellow flowers, obscured by swirls of white, I assume to be snow. It is mysterious to look at and ponder. It appears that the artist got angry and covered the top of the painting with swirls of thick white paint, because some of the tree and its branches and flowers are barely seen through the white paint.

The mysterious points are: it is done on raw wood with a handmade frame (not canvas); and the name "andrew" is largely sighend in the lower right corner in unconnected colligraphy.

I have not done any investigation nor have I purchased a special light to do further studying. I need to take a picture (if I can get it to fit). It measures over 5' long and 2 - 3 ' high. The reason I'm saying this is that it is in storage to be sold on Ebay and I don't have the exact size. If you are interested, I can upload a picture and more specific information. Thanks for your attention.

Posted by Dianna L Mullins on October 10, 2009 11:37 AM

85 mill st., easton, pa. 18042-9722--ph: 610-438-8779....would like to investigate an article i
have concerning robert edwards who was a pirate for the king of england & for his service to the crown, he was given 1/2 of manhatton island by queen ann----no "E" mail address presently, please write or call....thank you

Posted by robert r. edwards sr. on August 25, 2009 1:58 PM

several years ago we came aross a austuste renoir "madane henroit' #1601 eched on the frame and on a old typed label with decriptions a gift of adele r.levy fund.inc national gallery of art .wash. c.1876 frame by mostly frames ,philadelphia .this is very old cavas and frame and everyone that sees it thinks it could be real maybe you could help,thank you

Posted by anne & richard cochran on August 24, 2009 11:24 AM

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