Featured Friday Find - Is this a real 1878 Leon Voirin painting?!

Last photo in set of photos of back shows where painting is separating from something - lining?

 

Maybe, it's hard to tell. Can you check any other parts of the stretchers? If this painting is pre-WWII, it should have nail holes along the edge of the 19th century canvas. There appear to be large pieces of canvas extending past the rear of the stretcher bars in other areas.

If there are no nail holes and no lining, I'd be 99% sure this painting is not authentic. It could be a reproduction stapled to antique stretchers. Note I'm not an expert though.

P.S. If it has been relined, overpainting should be visible under a UV light.

P.P.S. If relined in the 1960's, that amount of paint loss in the intervening years would IMO be surprising. Looks like someone attacked it with a paint scraper!

 

I'd like to see a better close-up photograph of the handwriting and chalk marks and a photograph showing their location.

Debora

 

Chase

I'll take photos when I get home but they are on back of frame (I took contact paper & tacks off)
PS I'll check nail holes too

 

I'd think that, at some point, an unsophisticated owner added the contact paper to protect the back. Chalk marks are of often auction house notations which is why they may be important.

Debora

 

Again, could be wrong here but those chalk marks look more like framer's measurements than auction house notes.

Also, look at the image of the written note on stretcher verso. It appears to have been planed off or cut down. Very possible the stretchers are much older than the canvas.

 

Photos of nails & chalk writing on frame - now please tell me this is real!

 

Oh, looks like the writing and chalk markings are on the frame, not stretchers. They also appear to be partially covered with tape. Also looks like a re-lining and nail holes but again, I'm not an expert- just a guy on a computer.

 

Does that means it looks real/age correct?
In 3rd photo close up of nail - that's a old looking nailhead!

 

Can anyone say if photos above make a better case for being a original?
Thanks

 

I personally think it's fine and right mate

It's not like there's another image out there of it to be copied

Anything without provenance is always gonna be open to speculation anyway

You'll never get a 100% definitive answer

I would just list it with the information you have and see the interest you get with a decent price tag

 

Agree.

Debora

 

I sent pics to Heritage auction & got a reply email asking for higher resolution photos (I'd sent the ones I posted here that I had to reduce pixel size to be able to post them), so I took new pics & sent them to her.
Today I got a phone call from the appraiser for european art for Heritage auctions and she told me they couldn't auction as is because of the damage - but she was sending them to a conservator to get me a price to fix (she said I was lucky because it would probably only need in lining(?) painting to match the sky/background & it would cost a estimated 'couple of hundred', but if it was done they would auction it & she expected it to bring between $3,000 - $5,000!
So I'm waiting on restoring cost...fingers crossed it's a easy one!

 

Very exciting news. Thank you for sharing.

Debora

 

Good stuff!

 

Great to read, @journeymagazine . Wishing you good luck!

 

Thank you!

 

Out of curiosity, did you send photos to any auction houses that specialize in fine art? Heritage is best known for collectables and comic books.

 

No - I guess because I know of heritage.
PS - and they wouldn't accept the Elwood Howell; she said it wasn't valuable enough (I think it's because she is the European art expert/contact)

 

Heritage called me back & told me she was sorry but the person who would restore it gave her a $1,000 - $1,200!
I asked her what happened to her estimate of a couple of hundred dollars and she said she didn't know & apologized - then asked me if I wanted to go ahead?
I thanked her but declined.
I used a auction house in West Palm Beach to sell some things a few months ago and they got pretty good prices + the owner only charged me 20% (after seeing how crowded my house is I'm guessing she was hoping to be able to sell more!). The only downside was I had to wait 30 days to get paid. I also have a large 1879 Charles Day Hunt painting + the 2 Miro Cartons/Artigas books(?), the Keith Haring silkscreen + a few other things (maybe the 2 big chrome sconces w/the cool but damaged gold shades) that I'd like to sell to make just a little room (I sold 4 large paintings yesterday at my sat. estate sale & you can't even tell!), so I think I'm going to go with her again (also I can drive the items to them instead of fragile packing & shipping).
Does that sound OK, especially since the painting is good but not super valuable?
Thank you all for the help & info on this painting!