Featured Painting Rescued From Barn -- How Old Is It?

Hello all --

This is an old barn rescue that was so filthy you couldn't believe it. It's been in my home for about a decade, but I haven't had it professionally restored because the damage is so extensive I've been afraid the cracked paint would come off even more than it already has.

It took me several painstaking sessions of working with a soft brush and cotton swabs to get decades of dust, dirt and spider webs off of it. Seriously, it was so dirty you could barely see the horse (pony?), much less the mountains in the background.

My question to you folk is: how old do you think this piece is? I'd ask for help with identifying the artist as well, but without a visible signature or proper provenance I'm guessing getting an answer online would be a stretch.

More pics:

(Out of frame)


(Close up. The camera darkened it more than it is.)


(Teeny tiny details. The brush must've had 3 hairs! Note the cracking.)


(Lower right. Is a signature hiding somewhere in the grass?)


(Or perhaps on the left side...?)


(Frame detail. It was full of spider's eggs and dirt.)


(Back of the piece. Note the eye screws for hanging it vertical, not horizontal. The mystery deepens...)


(Held in by four square nails. Note the wooden "keys" wedged in to keep the canvas tightened.)


A few more images to follow below....

 

....More pics:

(Nails in the stretcher bar.)


(Best clue thus far: a gallery or framer's sticker that perhaps points to Denver, Colorado?)


(And penciled just underneath it...a name?? Nope. Just the size. 16 x 20 inches.)


I'm guessing that the piece is no later than the 1920s, and could be considerably older. Any thoughts/info would be appreciated, especially those of you with some Equine or Western Art experience.


Thanks!

 

The artist was skilled. Livestock portraits were popular in the 19th century, among those who could afford them. This seems to have been someone's favorite horse. I think the technology of the frame and stretcher will be the best guide to date, and from what I have seen of 19th century paintings, it looks consistent with 2nd half of the 19th c. This somewhat similar painting on Invaluable is dated to the late 19th century:
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...e-19th-century-portrait-of-a-327-c-8c44efb8f7

A good reference for dating American frames is: The Frame in America, 1700-1900: a Survey of Fabrication Techniques and Styles, by William Adair. The American Institute of Architects Foundation, Washington D. C., 1983.
Unfortunately a student ran off with my copy years ago, and I have not yet replaced it.

 

So sorry to hear about your book! I'm guessing it'd be a big help tracking things down. Your guess is better than mine, so I appreciate the input.

It's a lovely little painting in person. I wish I knew the story behind it, and why it was ignored for so long.

 

I suspect all those snowcovered mountains in the background go very nicely with a Colorado origin.

 

It's possible that the sig is hiding under the frame. As you've already discovered, the frame was not meant for this particular painting.

 

Horseshoe nails? Suppose they would be too long. I can't help but picture the horse with the painting in his stall, the way people have portraits of themselves on the wall.

 

My guess would be that this is a prize winning stud of some sort. At one time "famous"... famous in a niche.

Outstanding in his field.

(rimshot*)

*everything before that was serious.

 

That's what I thought! (Of course, there are mountains in Switzerland and other places, as well...)

 

Haha! That would be a sight, indeed.

I don't think they're horseshoe nails...I'll look into it, though.

 

**Ba DUM Tsssss!**

 

The painting's put away for the night, but I can see about getting it down again for a closer shot tomorrow or Sunday. There's a faint possibility of lettering just to the right of where you've pointed out, but it's reallllly hard to tell if it's lettering....or blades of grass. I ran it through some computer filters, but that was awhile ago so maybe I overlooked something.

Thanks for looking into this.

 

I can almost make out a perfect serif "L"
at the edge of the frame and towards the middle of where INH has circled. Then again, I could be hallucinating!

 

I blew the image up just in case people are beginning to wonder if INH and I are huddled in a tepee somewhere in the desert with a smoldering cauldron of peyote between us.

 

Must have thought you have 2manybooks.