Featured Weigel: Real or Mass Produced?

Hey everyone!

I'm hitting an estate sale tomorrow, and this is one of the website photos. I'm asking those of you with a better eye to tell me if it's worth getting up at 6 a.m. tomorrow to get to the site early enough to grab this.

I found a Charles A. Weigel but this signature looks a little suspect.

I got fooled before on a Wilson. And I could use the sleep more than another replica. Thank you!

 

Why do you think that's by Charles A. Weigel? I ask because 1) that isn't his signature, 2) he was a landscape painter, and 3) he died in 1964 which was likely before this work was painted.

Debora

 

Nice to see a racing painting, but I have no idea of the person who did it.

 

I thought Charles because it doesn't look like the work of Jeane or Paul.

 

A Google Lens search brings up duplicates of that signature as belonging to an artist named F.E. Weigel. One of these works has his business card affixed to the back but it's not legible at that size.

Debora

https://www.etsy.com/listing/692517975/oil-canvas-football-player-merlin-olsen

https://www.etsy.com/listing/692517975/oil-canvas-football-player-merlin-olsen

https://www.etsy.com/listing/692517975/oil-canvas-football-player-merlin-olsen

 

This is my new favorite group. You guys are so amazing. Thank you!

 

I think I found the artist. F E Weigel. There are numerous horse paintings with that signature. Looks like it'll be an early day for me tomorrow. It could still be a replica, but worth checking out. Thank you!

 

Beware,it looks very nicotine stained. Its almost impossible to get that build up off and cleaning professionally is expensive.

 

Thanks for that tip!

 

Same artist, racing horses, Weigel oil painting on Ebay, unsold at $70.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3753900578...6G4qw35vC+C+QrgJO60Whnsg==|tkp:Bk9SR-qVscDpZA

I would want to find some examples of actual sold pieces by this artist to get a realistic value.

 

I can not tell if they are harness racehorses with sulkys or thorobreds with riders. That might help also in your search.

 

You know... I'm not convinced those aren't factory art being passed off as fine. This frame says "Hecho en Mexico."

Debora

 

Interesting. Maybe the frame was made in Mexico. I was told one of the signs of a replica was overlapping canvas on the edges that are stapled to the frame. This photo looks like the back of the Wilson I bought, which was a mass-produced painting resembling an authentic Wilson.

 

I've seen similar work before by the same artist. I wouldn't be awfully surprised if it's a print or copy.

 

Looks like I'll have to check it out in person. Also, see how much they're asking for it.

 

If I get it, I'll let you know what I discover.

 

Is it something you're interested in owning? Because the resale value is likely not going to be very high.

Debora

 

I like the image well enough. It doesn't immediately strike me as a factory painting, though the frame is the right type. I have at least one family member who bought or repurposed a Mexican frame for another piece so that's sometimes possible. Agreed if it's a painting, the tar on it is serious. If it's a print on canvas, then either tar or sunning.

If it was priced low enough, and you liked it for yourself, diluted dish soap light on cotton will get tar off...in theory the varnish should act as a barrier. But it's not something I would try on a very expensive piece since there is a worry about water wicking to the canvas and displacing paint or cracking it eventually. If anyone else knows a way to clean that stuff I'd love to know. All the restoration books and info I can find are about removal of varnish, and not just a dirt clean. For everything else, the restorers guard their secrets.