Some amazing Old portraits I need help identifying

They have been wrapped and in temp controlled storage since 1923

 

that kind of specific information should have been provided with the 1st post...

 

Sorry, I thought it was implied since this was my great grandfather's collection passed through the generations.

 

Once again, you know things that we have not been privy to , that could help us in our detective work , to help you ascertain the authenticity of the works and possibly lead you to their fair market value.

You wrote "this is a family inheritance that had been collected since late 1800's from travels around the world"

There is no possible way to imply from just that , that these works were your great grandfathers, collected from 1880 to 1923 at which time they were stored away , only to be unearthed by you some one hundred years later.

( personally , I've never even heard a story like that ......)

You write.... "I discovered the one signature painting is by Willem Van Dort 1889"
If so....then that painting was reasonably new when collected.....and would lead us away from considering that it could be a later copy ......

You've presented us with a trove of artworks......and an interesting story , while leaving out valuable information that would help us drill down on the history and validity of these works.

where are they?.... where were they stored ?
where were they collected... ( all over the world, is of no real help ! )
when did you retrieve them from storage....
where they bought at Galleries , from the artists, at 2nd hand stores...?
what size is each one ?
is there a photo of the rear to go with each painting?
are there any tags, or labels or writing on the reverse of the canvases ..
how are they affixed to the stretchers...glue, nails, tacks...... staples ??

These are not spurious or unreasonable questions , as we ask this of all members who are looking for our help !

So far we've done what we can ..... but going forward..... it would be in your best interest to..... help us, to help you !

 

They have been wrapped and in temp controlled storage since 1923

I can only wonder who was paying for that for 100 years...?

 

I will do my best moving forward to include more intricate details as you have outlined

Unfortunately the family did not keep a provenance of purchase paperwork for the art pieces, just a printed phot archive dictating the subject matter and such no different than what I have shared. As he traveled all over the world he acquired pieces that he felt were "investable" as each piece was acquired they were framed (as some pieces are not in their original frames) then they were wrapped and sealed, boxed and placed in the temp controlled storage unit. When he passed he had acquired roughly 110 pieces of art, 15 18 and 19th century room dividers, 8 large tapestries, one VERY large rug, and countless empty frames some very old some MCM. He passed and the inheritance went to my grandparents and so forth until it ended with me. nobody had an interest in unearthing this monstrous collection, and now I am doing my best to ascertain age, value, and subject matter in order to liquidate this collection. Many pieces are not worth even posting here due to condition or obvious non-signed amateur works, or turn of the century prints. But the ones that really strike me as something special I am doing all I can to identify and evaluate before selling. I will re-echo the paintings I have already shown and share additional photos as requested of size, and side/back shots. Just remember I have no way of knowing if a frame was original. Some paintings do seem to have the original brass nails and stretcher boards, but again I would love any and all feedback on each piece. Thank you all!

 

the rug....may be a hidden gem.........just saying...!

 

Here are the back photos of the Circular painting showing an Italian or British prince. We have learned that the statue in it is Bellona, that the inscription is in Latin and states that the sitting subject was saved by a Peter Alexander in the year 1791, it also shares that the sitting subject perhaps was the Prince of Brixensis in 1791. The emblem in the upper right has resemblance of Southern European emblems although I could not find an exact match anywhere. The portrait is very large 37" wide and 45" tall (this does not include the actual frame). The frame is a gesso frame and has an old auction mark as well "Le Garde Meuble Public 18, Rue St Augustin" which dates to 1880's so it was sold at auction at that time. Hope all this helps!

 

Yes I agree! But I have to bite off a little at a time lol. I also found in there an original Salmson bronze sculpture, quick research puts it in the 8-12k range but I need to do a bit more research on the plate tag

 

it don't hurt !!

 

So the objects were stored at Bedel & Cie. in Paris?

Debora

 

Could you tell us how you arrived at the conclusion the prince in the oval frame was British or Italian? I ask because Italy didn't exist as a country until 1871. And, if he were British he would be the issue of George III who had 15 children but none by that name.

Debora

 

So my confusion is multi-tiered. The emblem echoes that of Southern Europe, Croatia, Italy, British controlled provinces etc. The statue is of a Roman goddess. the inscription is in Latin, and echoes a city in Italy/Croatia. The attire resembles British royalty, the saber on his left is an epee which is a mid 19th century sword prolific in Europe.

 

Some of the paintings were purchased from that French auction house, the storage unit resides here in the US.

 

Bedel & Cie. appears to have been a dépot or warehouse for the storage of furniture and other items. Your portrait must have passed through that at one time.

Debora

 

Many of the paintings I have went that same route probably about 12 paintings have that sticker on the back.

 

They were in good company. The Rothschild's apparently used the dépot.

Debora

 

Doesn't get much higher than that