Julien Onderdonk Painting
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GUEST:
It has been in our family for at least three and probably four generations. I know that my grandfather was a devoted collector, and that's really about all I know about it, other than it's always been in our family.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's a beautiful painting, and Julian Onderdonk is known as one of Texas's most famous artists, and he's famous, very well known, very prolific, for his beautiful paintings of the Texas landscape with bluebonnet flowers. What people forget about him is that he studied in New York and studied with William Merritt Chase.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
The wonderful American impressionist artist, who had a studio in Long Island.
GUEST:
Oh, uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And he was probably studying with him turn of the century, and these little wonderful plein air sketches were done 1908, 1909. It's a beautiful image. One of the things we always talk about on the Roadshow is that you want to stay sort of on topic. And ideally, the "on topic" for Onderdonk is Texas themes. But a really, really close second is his Long Island scenes, because they're early, they're Long Island at a beautiful time. They're very Chase-like. In terms of condition, we have a little issue in that it has been restored.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
It has been lined, and one of the things that we still see in the sky is a craquelure pattern, and what one hopes to have happen after restoration is that the cracks are leveled.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
That said, have any idea what he paid for it, what anyone paid for it?
GUEST:
No, no, no, it has been on the walls of various family members my whole life.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'm thinking 1920, let's say they bought it around his death, 1920, a few hundred dollars, perhaps. Retail, I'd be valuing the painting at $35,000.
GUEST:
You're kidding. (laughing) Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
Yes.
GUEST:
Wow!
Appraisal Details
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