Jean Arnould Heyermans Oil, ca. 1880
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GUEST:
Well, I was looking for a painting 56 years ago at Hough and Canan's in Pittsburgh, and I saw this and it appealed to me because the baby was a picture of my son.
APPRAISER:
The picture was your son? How old was he?
GUEST:
He was a year-and-a-half.
APPRAISER:
A year-and-a-half old. And is he here today?
GUEST:
He's right beside me.
APPRAISER:
I think I do see a resemblance here. That's a great reason to buy a painting.
GUEST:
Well, it looks exactly like him when he was a baby.
APPRAISER:
Oh, that's great.
GUEST:
And that's why I brought it home.
APPRAISER:
You didn't know anything about the artist?
GUEST:
No, I didn't.
APPRAISER:
Do you know anything about the artist now?
GUEST:
No, I don't. It's just hung in my home, that's all.
APPRAISER:
Well, I saw it and I knew it looked very, very good. It was a good subject, nice quality. It's by an artist named Jean Arnould Heyerman, who was Belgian. He was active in the 19th century, probably around 1830s to 1890s, and it's a great example of a genre picture. Now, what we mean by that are scenes from everyday life. Here we have like a scene you would see in someone's house today, only it's back in the 19th century, probably around 1880-- brother feeding the little baby. But wonderful details with this bread, this wonderful cup, this porcelain cup. What I especially like are the sort of peeled apples-- you can see all of the detail. And also nice is this doll the baby has been playing with. It's just overall a really nice picture. It's also, I think, in untouched condition, it's in perfect condition, which is great for a painting this old. It just looks like no one but Heyerman has ever touched it. Heyerman is not a well-known painter, so the value on this is based on the subject, which is absolutely wonderful. It's very commercial, as we say today. Size-- it's a very good size. If it were to come to auction now in the international market, I think we'd see a price close to around $10,000.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
Did you pay anywheres near $10,000?
GUEST:
I paid $75 for it.
APPRAISER:
Well, I think you did very well because even then it was worth more. It's a wonderful painting and thank you for bringing it in.
GUEST:
Oh, thank you.
Appraisal Details
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