Renoir painting is an unlikely US flea market find

The canvas, which shows a scene along the Seine River titled “Paysage Bords de Seine,” is scheduled to be auctioned later this month by the Potomack Company, an auction house in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.

It is expected to sell for between US$75,000 and US$100,000.

The small oil painting, 5.5 inches by 6.5 inches (14 centimeters by 23 centimeters), was among the finds purchased in a bin by a woman who prefers to remain anonymous, according to Anne Norton Crane, a representative of the auction house.

The art work, which had been tossed in a box of odds-and-ends including a plastic cow and a Paul Bunyan doll, came very close to being destroyed.

Not thinking much of the painting, the woman had planned to shred it. But her mother, spotting the name Renoir on the canvas, advised her to have an expert appraise it. Thusly the woman learned of its provenance and value.

Norton Craner, who praised the work as “beautiful, very beautiful” particularly for its luminosity, said it still carries a label from the Berheim-Jeune arthouse in Paris, a famous purveyor of works by Renoir.

She was able to trace the painting back to an American collector, Herbert May, who purchased it in 1926 from the famed gallery.

SHARE CLOSE
Blogger		Google+
Live Journal		Plurk
Stumble Upon

Tweet

	PREVIOUS ARTICLE
	Jolie hears 'horrific' accounts of Syrian refugees

NEXT ARTICLE
Busan film fest in South Korea embraces Asian diversity

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email

Submit