Louis Comfort Tiffany Seascape Oil, ca. 1880
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GUEST:
This is an oil painting that my grandmother gave me.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
It's something that she bought in the 1960s. She purchased it from a friend of hers for $250. When she arrived at the apartment, the husband of her friend was handing it to Barbra Streisand.
APPRAISER:
Wow.
GUEST:
And she went over to Ms. Streisand and took it out of her hands and said, "No, that's mine."
APPRAISER (chuckles): There you go.
GUEST:
I know that it was done by Tiffany.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, it is a painting by Tiffany. When you think of Tiffany, you think of the guy who pioneered lampshades, stained glass, really a pioneer in decorative arts. So to see a painting is not rare, but it's a little bit unusual. Tiffany was born in 1848 in New York. He died in 1933. He studied with Samuel Colman and George Inness, two American landscape painters. And, in addition to his work in the decorative arts, he traveled throughout the world painting. He was a member of, ultimately, the National Academy of Design, which he then, with other artists, rebelled against and created a group called the Society of American Artists. He painted in a realistic style. As far as where the painting may have been executed, he painted throughout Canada, Europe, America… So it's a little bit difficult to say exactly where this might be located. The painting isn't dated, but chances are it would've been probably late 19th century. The painting itself appears to be in very good shape. It looks like it's probably untouched. There's a little bit of craquelure, which is something that's really an inherent vice to an old painting, but it doesn't look like any mechanical damage that a person would have done. And I think the painting could stand a cleaning. Do you have any idea what a painting like this today would sell for?
GUEST:
Hopefully more than $250.
APPRAISER:
Today, if this painting were offered at auction, it would probably sell in the area of $15,000 to $25,000.
GUEST:
A little more.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, for $250, it was, it was quite a prudent buy. It's a really nice example of, of Tiffany's work. Thank you so much for bringing it in.
GUEST:
My deer-in-the-headlight moment.
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