Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau Oil, ca. 1880
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GUEST:
Brought a painting that used to belong to my mother. And she purchased it at an auction and gave it to my wife and I about 20 years ago. It's a painting, we believe, by Elizabeth Jane Gardner, who my mother was somewhat familiar with, having purchased a painting painted by the same artist before. And she recognized this painting when it came up for auction, and purchased it, and ultimately gave it to us.
APPRAISER:
And when did she purchase it, approximately?
GUEST:
I think it was 1994.
APPRAISER:
And where did she purchase it?
GUEST:
At a New York auction. She bid on the telephone and purchased it.
APPRAISER:
For how much?
GUEST:
I believe she paid $14,500 for it. She had told me the original estimate was $2,000 to $3,000, but she recognized the artist and thought that it had a lot more value and decided to bid higher, and... and she purchased the painting.
APPRAISER:
This is Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau, and she was known as the wife of William Bouguereau, who was one of the most famous and influential 19th-century French academic and realist painters. The composition itself is a copy of one of his compositions. His original painting is in the Musée du Château de Fontainebleau in France. Her relationship to William Bouguereau is, is an interesting story, actually. She was an American. She came to Paris to study art. And she was not really allowed to study at a lot of the important art schools like the …cole des Beaux-Arts. So she had to resort to certain tricks, like dressing like a man, to be able to attend draftsmanship classes. She was a consistent exhibitor at the Paris salons. She was especially well-known for the milky, porcelain-like skin. Now, the painting is not signed, but there may be a reason that it's not signed. She was sometimes criticized for copying Bouguereau. There's a quote by her that, where she said, "I'd rather be known as an imitator of Bouguereau than be known for nothing." The painting is oil on canvas, it's not dated, however, the original was painted by William Bouguereau in 1861. She became a student of his in 1877. She studied with him for about 17 years, until about 1896, when she finally married him. And they were waiting to get married because his mother wouldn't allow it, and they waited until his mother passed away. My best guess is that it would be... have been painted between 1873 and 1896. Your mother bought it in 1994, you said.
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
What do you think it's worth today?
GUEST:
I really don't know. I would hope that it's appreciated in value. And we've had it hanging in our dining room for the last 20 years.
APPRAISER:
In general, a lot of 19th-century paintings have, have gone down in value over the past ten to 15 years, because there's been a tendency towards contemporary. One of the exceptions is William Bouguereau, and another one of the exceptions is his wife. They are considered really some of the best of 19th-century painting. In certain sales, recently, they've done considerably better than in the 1990s. I think at auction, a conservative auction estimate would be $50,000 to $70,000.
GUEST:
Very good. That... that sounds very good. Thank you!
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