There's a lot of landmines out there and one of them seems to be these seemingly period watercolors that have been springing up on eBay and other auction houses for the last few years. Their subject matter is generally of fairly significant events or historical figures (Civil War, negro soldiers, etc...) of the 19th century and are typically framed in period frames and backed with pages from 19th century books. Once you've seen a few of them, stylistically they stand out like a sore thumb. The unfortunate part is that quite a few collectors have dropped hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on them. Some can be quite convincing. I even did a post of one a while back! But if you see one, just buy it for it's decorative value because there's little else besides it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Fake
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9 comments:
I have spotted these as fake many times on ebay, and because I have hounded so many for this in the past (especially when it comes to Traylor) I have grown weary of the process. All I can say is....Buyer... beware.
Yes, yes, yes!!! We must all collectively hound these SOB's to their grave...they are nothing less than thieves and scoundrels.
SML
A fellow doll maker sent me here because we just had this discussion on FB. I asked a dealer to share an image of an antique doll quilt over on Maida Today. She declined saying,
"Unfortunately, posting an image of my antique inspires the copying of . It is an original and is being sold as such. It is a continuing issue for my business and I have had to refrain from posting on my online gallery many rare and/or original pieces due to the problem of contemporary reproductions which devalue and/or lessen the impact of the antique original. This directly affects my business..."
Dixie here again -
Now, I'm pretty sure that most people just want to make a doll quilt in the spirit of old ones and have no intention of trying to sell these items as original antiques. But this is a cautionary tale, because sometimes these reproductions fall in the hands of unscrupulous dealers.
Artisans, SIGN YOUR WORKS. Which is an interesting thing to say on a blog entitled Anonymous Works.
I'm interested in honoring the past and sometimes making something in the spirit of old works.
Dixie
It certainly becomes a different issue when artworks may be used as templates for new reproductions....even when they are marketed as such. In this case, it's pretty cut and dry that there's an intent to deceive. But what about the case of an antique dealer like Obsolete vs. Restoration Hardware where they bought vintage works from his shop only to remake and sell as modern reproductions? I found that to be an interesting case as well. I guess that's sort of the same concern as the doll quilt dealer....
Yes, I can see the concerns. I don't mean to disparage the dealer's concerns.
And that brings up the idea of furniture reproductions....I know of someone who makes exquisite reproductions of colonial furniture. The originals are in museums.
At this point Ive seen hundreds of these reproductions across the internet, but mostly at auctions and flea markets right here in the tri-state. I am almost certain these are being painted and distributed in the PA area. I actually started a file on my desktop where I drag the images I see online or photos I snap in person. At this point I do it just for fun. The artist is very distinct and dare I say PROLIFIC at this point. Id actually be curious to meet this person... Very artistic and creative, I just wish he/she would focus their art on less deceptive projects.
I know the artist, and have told him how his works are being misrepresented. He did not know. Now he does, he is annoyed and said he will now sign his work and date it.
The artist has come out of the closet! See - http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/11442012_antonio-romano-watercolor-on-board-battle-of-tren
Ah! Good for him.
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