Mystery Antique Painting

[Engineer1911]

I have an original painting that is done with chalk. It is 40" wide and 17" high. I estimate that it is about 85 to 100 years old. The original frame was heavy plaster of Paris about 3" wide and up to 1-1/2" thick with green and gold paint. It was badly chipped and damaged.

Sometime in the 1990's I had the wood frame done and asked the young lady if any art students worked in the frame shop (Michael's). She replied she was an art student. I asked her to repair the lower right hand corner, the damaged area was about 1-1/2" square. She examined the painting, said she would be very happy to do it at no charge, and would I sign a letter so she could get credit for the work in one of her classes? I told her I'll sign your letter when I pick up the new framed picture.

I cannot read the signature in the lower left corner. I believe the original owners were Norwegian immigrants who came to west central Wisconsin in the 1880's. I have learned that this Forum has a deep pool of knowledge on almost any subject. Can some one help me learn what it is I have. I believe that I made a big $$ mistake getting rid of the plaster frame, but it was beyond ugly. Mostly I like to know how old it is, who the original artist might have been, and a guesstimated value.

A farm kid in 1905 might have done it as a "one of a kind" work of art, but I'm not sure of that considering the heavy plaster frame it used to have.

[Blackwater]

I hate to tell you, but there are many great works of art that are unsigned, and therefore, pretty well unresearchable, done long ago (and sometimes yesterday) by great artists who just tinker around for the sheer joy of it. Music is a lot like that. Some of the very best is local and done by folks who are just doing it for the sheer joy of it. With music though, you always have to have the artist present. Not so with paintings and similar works of art.

About all you're likely to do is pin down a SWAG about it, but really, that only increases the mystique of a good piece of real art. Sometimes, our imagination has to fill in the blanks, but the advantage in that is it keeps our minds working, and our tools sharp.

[richhodg66]

I know nothing about such things, but it's a very nice painting. I'm curious about the original frame, plaster of paris would seem an odd thing to make a picture frame with, or so it would seem to me.

[Shepherd2]

I've seen many plaster frames over the years. We had an old portrait of some family members that was in a big ornate plaster frame. All the plaster frames I've seen were very ornate and most were painted brown with a lot of old paint on them.

[bedbugbilly]

I'm not an art expert, but it if is done in chalk, I don't believe is a "painting". If it is done in oil paints or water colors, then it probably would be classified as a "painting".

It's a very nice chalk rendering though. If I was thinking that it was a rare item, I don't think I would have had an art student at Michaels "restore" it. If it were valuable, that could cause more harm than good as far as value goes.

I have several chalk renderings that were done of family members in th late 1800's which are very good. That medium seemed to be very popular. I once owned one that was a full length portrait of a Civil War soldier that was killed during the war - done from a tintype.

If you are serious about finding out if it is from a well known artist, then take it to a reputable art gallery that specializes in appraisals . . . but be prepared to pay for the appraisal. The only real way that you can gather accurate information on it is to have it examined by an expert in that type of art in person.

It's a beautiful scene and whoever produced it was very talented. I can see why you enjoy it . . . I'd be proud to hang that in my home and enjoy it as well!

[runfiverun]

google that name in the corner.
there are a ton of artists we have never heard of that are well known in the art world.
even as an unknown artist the painting itself could still be worth $5-6,000
was there anything on the back? like a price [might just be the canvas price] or a sticker or just some marks those can all be clues.

[montana_charlie]

I'm not an art expert, but it if is done in chalk, I don't believe is a "painting". If it is done in oil paints or water colors, then it probably would be classified as a "painting".
I'm not an expert either, but I won the California Award for Art in the state's small school division back in 1964.

I painted landscapes using pastels.

The kind of chalks used in creating fine art pictures are known as pastels, and a picture done in that medium is properly called a painting.

[ncbearman]

"I can find no signature on it."

I'm confused. Is that not a signature in the bottom left corner? It looks to be .....adkison or Anderson

[Bent Ramrod]

Don't know anything about the picture. However, I believe those "plaster" frames were called "gesso" by the collectors and dealers.

[jsizemore]

Hudson River school of landscapes. Usually watercolor. The only Anderson I could find did river scenes with some ship/boat involved.

[leeggen]

Alot of the old plaster frames were painted gold to start with. Then over time people repainted them. The plaster chips very easily and many thru it out and had the painting reframed. Looks like the frame has the old style beading along the inside edge of the frame. If it is an old frame that beading ranges back to the late 1800's approx. 1860 to 1890. At that time it was hand carved in the wood, you can find the new but it is machine cut. The painting I can't help you with, sorry.
CD