D'Entraygues Painting, ca. 1880
GUEST:
I inherited this piece a couple years ago when my mother passed away, and the only thing I do know about it is that it was my great-grandparents'. My grandparents inherited it around 1900. My grandparents also were very influential in San Francisco-- they actually were the first furriers in San Francisco, and, um, they inherited it. It went through the 1906 earthquake and looks pretty good, I'd say. Now I feel very blessed that I can have it as my own.
APPRAISER:
Essentially you said it was your great-grandparents who probably first bought this painting.
GUEST:
I think so.
APPRAISER:
So that was probably before 1900 when your grandparents inherited it, so it's probably purchased 1875, 1880s. The painting is by an artist by the name of Charles Bertrand D'Entraygues. And it's what we call an anecdotal painting-- something that tells an anecdote or a story. D'Entraygues almost exclusively specialized in paintings of young altar boys in their little robes and whatnot, and here we have one where this little young altar boy had been sent out to fill the vases with flowers, and he dropped one of the pair here and it's broken and he's all broken up. His friends are trying to console him.
GUEST:
Oh, I see.
APPRAISER:
It is very typical of the late 19th century. It's what people liked to buy at that time. Additionally, what they liked to do was have them really well framed, so you have this huge, massive, gilt-wood frame which is very typical of the period as well.
GUEST:
Yeah, I see.
APPRAISER:
You've moved it here recently?
GUEST:
I did, and I've noticed that being that this is a very dry climate that, you know, there's been some cracking and I thought perhaps you might be able to give me some guidance as to what to do about restoration.
APPRAISER:
His reds, you'll see here, you get this paint separation where the paint actually separates. What happens is the paint actually dries, much like mud on the bottom of a river bank, it starts to crack. I'm not so much concerned about that. That can be filled in just touched in with a little bit of paint by a skilled restorer. What I'm a little more concerned about is down in here, and you'll see actual paint losses and active flaking.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
This really needs to be seriously attended to first, because that does affect the value. The people who buy these want them almost pristine, so these little kinds of things, you want to nip them in the bud.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
He does well. Recently I've sold a painting just about this size, same sort of subject, little altar boys, for about $14,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So I would expect this to be in that range. If I were to estimate it for auction, I would estimate about $12,000 to $18,000.
GUEST:
Wowee, boy, that gives me goosebumps.
APPRAISER:
That's a nice painting.
GUEST:
Thank you.
APPRAISER:
Thanks for coming in.
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