1919 Maynard Dixon Painting
Watch
GUEST:
The painting was a gift to my mother and father. The artist was staying at my mother's parents' home. I think when he was broke, he'd come over there and stay. And he had a studio upstairs in the attic.
APPRAISER:
And the artist is Maynard Dixon.
GUEST:
Maynard Dixon.
APPRAISER:
Right, who has become an important Western illustrator and landscape painter. He also painted cowboys and Indians, too. Maynard Dixon was a California native. He was born in Fresno in 1875, and studied here in San Francisco at the Mark Hopkins Institute. But he wasn't much of a student. But he did send a sketchbook to Frederic Remington, who of course is an important Western artist. And Remington encouraged him to take on an artistic career. He started out as an illustrator and became a very important and prolific illustrator. And this is a perfect example of one of his more beautiful landscapes. The importance in his painting is the beautiful brushwork that he had, the simplicity of his design, but yet it was very complete. He built up the paint, beautiful colors, and he also used very... almost flat geometric designs in his mountainscapes and landscapes. And you can see that through here. It's inscribed down here with his monogram, and then signed, "Carson, Nevada, October, 1919." And he also inscribed it and titled it on the back, "Autumn Cottonwoods, near Carson, Nevada, 1919, Maynard Dixon," where he lived on Montgomery Street in San Francisco, and then these are some of his inventory numbers of his paintings. This is a lovely piece. If this were to come to auction, I would appraise the painting for $8,000 to $12,000. So that's a good... it's... you know, as a wedding gift to your parents, it certainly has...
GUEST:
Very nice gift.
APPRAISER:
It's gone up in value over the years.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
