Watercolor on paper - Matisse attribution

My client brought me a frame watercolor on paper. It had a Matisse name plaque. I removed it and discovered with my loops what looks like a very faint graphite signature of possibly Matisse? I have looked through thousands of Matisse works but am hitting a wall. The painting came from a Greek family - lots of really great art. Parents now deceased spent time with a lot of artists in Greece, France and Italy. Anyone have any thoughts? Paper size is 16.75 x 14 inches. Thank you for looking.

 

It doesn't look much like Matisse's work. 1960s/1970s frame.

Debora

 

This place is selling prints of similar style that they say are Matisse, Nasturtiums. I don't know if true or not.

https://www.paintingstar.com/item-nasturtiums-s154810.html

 

Excellent find as usual, s_i_s. Matisse did paint nasturtiums but that would be such an unusual perspective for him.

Debora

 

S.I.S. I don't know how you found that? I searched and searched and even did a google image search. Not sure what to make of it - I think I might just loosely attribute and let the bidders decide. It is a pretty piece but I have never found a similar one until now.

 

I found it with google lens. I'm not sure at all but the sig looks vaguely right to my untrained eye. Maybe send photos to a good auction house that handles paintings and see what they think?

 

Did you hold it up to the light to look for a watermark?

 

Yep.....didn't see one....

 

You would still see pixilation with an aquatint correct?

 

To bad. I like it. It made me think of Clarice Cliff.

 

Dots with an offset lithograph. Aquatint is an etching technique.

 

The signature that's on there doesn't look much like it says "Matisse" either! At least, not to me!

​

 

I'd seen some sigs in looking that didn't look so far off but I have no idea.


https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auc...niste-et-moderne-evening-sale/chiens-de-mer-2


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henri_Matisse_Signature.svg