Maria Lak Owls: How to Tell if Original?

MLak by AntiqueHobbit posted Apr 18, 2019 at 9:11 PM

Owls by AntiqueHobbit posted Apr 18, 2019 at 9:11 PM

Pretty sure this is a reproduction even though it’s realy nicely done of a wood panel but.... what do you generally look for as the tell tale signs? I’ve had difficulty finding a picture of this exact painting even though I managed to identify the artist (Maria Lak) so what would be a dead giveaway for a reproduction?

 

My guess is that it is an original. A lot of her paintings seem to be done on wood panels and the signature looks right. I don't believe she was ever 'well enough known' to warrant someone making reproductions.

 

What makes you think that it's a reproduction?

I doubt that someone would go through the effort to reproduce a painting of this sort with the intent of creating a counterfeit.

 

Oh. Well that’s cool!
Frankly just don’t know much about art and assume anything that manages to come my way is a reproduction. Not necessarily like a counterfeit but something reproduced and sold in stores for a buck or two. I do live close to where she operated out of so maybe it is real...
is there any market or demand for paintings like this these days?

 

no real demand for this type of work. Maybe a collector of owl stuff would like it.

 

There are currently 3 owl paintings by her on eBay, ranging from $69.99 - $129.99 (plus shipping). There are no 'sold' listings for owls. Your painting has an advantage because it has 2 owls. However, I don't think she is well enough known to command those prices. Two of her still-life paintings sold in the neighborhood of $25 - $30.