Thought on this painting? I know nothing about it.

Picked it up at auction, there was some pretty good stuff in the auction so I figured I would take a shot on this mystery painting. It went across at the end of the auction. One of the auction employees was bidding against me so I assume he knew something I didn’t. There’s unfortunately a small tear in the canvas upper middle. No signature unless it’s obscured by the frame. The image looks kind of familiar so I was wondering if it was a copy of a well known painting? Any thoughts appreciated.

The artist could have used a moment from my childhood as the model for this painting.

 

European genre painting. Likely German and from turn-ish of last century.

Debora

 

Just throwing in a "thank you for the picture of the back!"

@Fid usually has a comment or two for this style of painting.

 

Little boy looks as if he just got whacked in the behind...and the dude on the right seems rather amused about what the other is saying.

 

Mine too...

 

Don’t know if it’s the lighting but it looks a little dark, frame looks clean though. Maybe a vanish has darkened a bit?

 

It’s definitely dark to begin with and then I took pictures in poor lighting so that exacerbated the situation. Could be the varnish but it doesn’t seem like it was too bright to begin with.

 

Thanks! I don’t know why but I was thinking Dutch. Glad to have a more educated opinion.

 

certainly a genre painting. in Switzerland it was Albert Anker that was known best for them.
in recent years there was a bit of criticism because many paintings are too idealistic and don't show the reality; children were still beaten, not sent to school during harvest seasons etc.
this here lets a wide field open to interpretation. is it a late-comer that was caught by the caretaker ? or is it an allusion to the Kulturkampf between a black frocked catholic man that stops the boy to go to the statal school ?
I'd put it a bit earlier than the turn of the century. 1850 to 1880 would be my guess.
a pity we don't see what's on the map - always a good way by seeing what states are there.

 

Northern European at any rate. You may be right about earlier date. (I use "turn-ish of last century" for anything 1880 - 1920 so fairly wide swath of time.) Corporal punishment of children -- not a very pleasant subject. Boy appears to have mistreated a book or two, spilled ink, and defaced blackboard (to which the adult figure on left is pointing.)

Debora

 

I was definitely hoping the map was more clear. I’m really glad you brought up the Kulturkampf. Very interesting to learn a bit about it. I have an excellent Otto von Bismarck ashtray from that period. If I could confirm that was the allusion they would be neat paired together. I just assumed it was completely literal.

Any guesses as to what type of value it would hold not attributed to a specific artist? Was it common for these to go unsigned?

 

if it's not too tall - measures ? - and the damage not too serious, I'd still think it fit for a normal-sized apartment today; perhaps as a conversation starter ? no idea about price.

 

Whoops forgot to reply. It’s a nice size, not too big. Probably 24”x18” or somewhere close. The genre painting prices are all over the place. Not really sure where to start placing this one in the large range. $100-$2000 seems to be it.