Posted 13 years ago
LISSA-D
(9 items)
I FOUND THIS PICTURE AT A G SALE --I TURNED IT OVER AND IT SHOWED BLANK WHITE PAPER-- I BOUGHT IT --GOT IT HOME TO FIND THE FRONT PICTURE HAD A FULL OTHER PICTURE AND FRAME LITERALLY STUCK TO THE BACK OF IT--OBVIOUSLY STORED FOR SOME TIME! THE BACK OF THE PICTURE I LOVED HAD THIS INFO ON IT---CAN ANYONE TELL ME ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT THIS LITTLE PICTURE? EVER SEEN ONE LIKE IT? THE FRAME SEEMS PLASTER LIKE-CAN I CLEAN IT? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY INFO THE PAPER SAYS COROT, THE GUST OF WIND. G. RENAND COLLECTION, PARIS AND A MAILING LABEL FOR A WOMAN IN ANAHEIM CA
NO CATEGORY FOR PAINTINGS UNSURE WHERE TO PUT
The Corot artwork may be only a print. If the frame really is very old, it could be made of gesso. (Google "gesso" for info on how to tell for sure.) Only dust it lightly; you don't want to ruin the patina. It should retain the aged look, not like something new. Lovely little find!
The Corot artwork may be only a print. If the frame really is very old, it could be made of gesso. (Google "gesso" for info on how to tell for sure.) Only dust it lightly; you don't want to ruin the patina. It should retain the aged look, not like something new. Lovely little find!
Will look it up --thanks for info--I tried to find the exact picture to see if it was a copy of the particular painting "The Gust of Wind" but all I can tell is the tree is in the same style as Corot painted trees...so the mystery remains!
I'd love to know what happened with this Corot. I have a piece and yours appears authentic from what can be seen here.
I haven't had time to do anything ---how fun would that be if it turned out authentic! I will try to pursue it this next couple weeks and update you-thanks for taking time to check in
Lissa
Okay so I sent pics --waited holding breath and then, they sent the reply below! Great fun tho --Thanks for the push to check it out--
Further to my previous email, the 19th Century European Art specialists have carefully examined your images. I am afraid that their opinion is that the work is not by the hand of Corot. As you may be aware, all property sold at Christie’s is subject to a Limited Warranty of Authenticity. While the specialists are not declaring that the property is inauthentic, they are concerned that it may not be accepted in the marketplace as a work by Corot.
CHRISTIE'S
Old Masters & 19th Century Art
20 Rockefeller Plaza | New York, NY 10020
Well, geez... how would they like to proceed? I mean, what's their authentication process? :(
I think it is a nice way of saying it is NOT Corot.
Just as on here, many folks get upset when told their treasure is not what they think it is. This technique saves them from many follow up responses.
scott
I can understand that. They should be more frank, though, as it'd be better to feel personally certain so that you could know what you wanted to do with it going forward. It's a nice copy, if nothing else.
Sounds like it was a free evaluation-- sometimes you get what you pay for.
If the poster needs confirmation, they can have a paid appraisal done and get something in writing.
As far as being more frank-- it only takes a short look at free evaluations on here to see why some choose to "sugar coat"! I cannot tell you the number of times that I have been insulted or told I was wrong by a poster who started off by saying " I just bought this and know nothing about it".
scott
I recommended the free evaluation. I knew that the fine auction houses did that sort of thing, presumably in the event that someone may have inherited or purchased a special item inexpensively but wouldn't have the resources for something more comprehensive. I think even those people deserve honesty in their evaluations or the auction houses shouldn't offer them at all. And I'm glad that Lissa-D went through that process and still has such a terrific attitude about it.
I've seen some of the scenarios you've mentioned though. Not every piece of glass is a diamond. And that can be hard to tell someone and harder to admit to yourself. It would certainly be frustrating if you're just here to help people when they've specifically asked for advice/information.
And to be fair to Christie's, they were being honest enough, albeit vague. I guess I would have preferred a response that indicated how unlikely it is that it's a Corot, something that might indicate whether a more thorough, paid consultation would be worth consideration. I suppose the fact that they didn't suggest as much is answer enough.
What they did say does speak volumes-- they couldn't warrant it as being from Corot!
scott
@Scott Of course you know that not guaranteeing an item that comes to them without provenance, from an artist that was commonly copied (among other things) is not the same as a complete dismissal and certainly not the same thing as saying it's not Corot. Which perhaps is why they said in so many words "We're not saying this is not Corot."
@Lissa-D I found a blog site that notes Corot's "The Gust of Wind":
http://www.lunday.com/?page_id=616&paged=3#/
http://lunday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012-04-05Corot%20Gust%20of%20Wind.jpg
And found that the title and similar subject matter were used by Corot's contemporaries, like Courbet and Millet. But there are distinct differences between Corot's painting and your item. Either that's a good thing or a bad thing. Yours doesn't appear to be an exact copy of the one for which he is most well-known, anyway.
G. Renand refers to a gallery and maybe Corot did varying interpretations of the same theme or maybe Renand allowed copies. There are references to Renand and Corot here:
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/camille-corot/honfleur-calvary-on-the-cote-de-grace
Hi LissaD,
Lovely. What a surprise find.
It'll be interesting to find out how this turns out.
Did you find out if the frames gesso?
My two cents, for what its worth, I'd imagine Christies cant say a pictures by a known artist unless they're certain. It read as though they're pretty uncertain to me.
It would be nice to know.
Good luck
Even if it turns out to not be by Corot but a contemporary, its still a nice find.
Well done:)