I bought a Gainsborough on eBay
English art expert and gallery Philip Mould (Philip Mould), I bought Gainsborough on eBay
There was a time when art dealers had to break in the auction halls in order to find the worthwhile work of art. Now, most of the work we have done over the computer screen. Also, it was the same day, when I browse online auction eBay. Suddenly my attention is attracted thumbnail denominated «Portrait of an unknown» American Schools. In addition to these data and the starting price of U.S. $ 100 (£ 62), the seller has not provided any information. But something in this picture I was hooked. It will come some special lighting, which distinguishes the works of Gainsborough other works of his contemporaries.
long to load images of a larger format, I am languishing with curiosity and doubt.
When I finally saw the big picture, I almost immediately became clear that if the head is shown the true character was created by Gainsborough, the body was clearly written by someone else. Compared to the person who manilo to imagine torso was somehow zastylym like pub sign. He is physically inconsistent with the anatomy, but not aesthetically match the person.
knowing full well that he was going to buy a pig in a poke, I still decided to participate in the auction. As a result, I bought the portrait for £ 120.
Muchivshee my curiosity, I was able to meet only two weeks later, when a FedEx courier delivered a package to me. Broken package, I was convinced that to me really Gainsborough painted face and body, written, apparently, the artist-lover. And then covered rampage, I made something that no one would be advised to do: I am out a bottle of acetone, and began work.
was the end of a working day, the phone has ceased to peal. I stayed in one gallery, thicken Twilight. It was a wonderful time when everything that usually distracts the attention, has ceased to interfere. First I worked slowly. But as the spread of acetone vapors in the air, all my fears from the fact that I can destroy the picture, began to disperse. I removed layers of paint, one after another. This was surprising - is gradually out of the upper body and started to show clothes that corresponded to a person of grace and sophistication.
After half an hour around the floor was overwhelmed lumps of cotton wool, densely impregnated with a terrible paint a portrait. And I am increasingly convinced that this is an early portrait by Gainsborough, which someone later just mutilated. At one point I felt a strong shock when I saw, as appears pink, and I thought that slightly overdo clean-up. But, fortunately, this proved to just edge the hands of the man depicted in the painting, hidden in the section of the jacket.
At the conclusion of the work it took me two hours. And finally the midst of the chaos that reigned in my studio, there was the portrait, radiant, as has just been caught fish. I can assume that over the last 50-100 years, someone tried to fix a small gap on the canvas. And once the edges are sewn, so someone decided to paint pochinenny plot and too carried away. Perhaps he even had not had to work with what works.
The next day I krasneya from embarrassment, I had a picture restorer, and she immediately realized that I done. Together, we called the person depicted in the portrait, Mr. eBay, because not to know who he is. Of course, we hope to ever find out.
Nahodka this picture has become for me an exciting event, which awakened in me a passion for restoration. Sometimes in my spare time I think about how it would be pleased to devote their lives. But my colleagues in the gallery did not give me razmechtatsya: they now refer to me as a drunkard, and hiding from me with a bottle of acetone, so that I will never make balls anything like this.
material produced Catherine Onuchin
Source: , artinvestment.ru
Permanent link to:
https://artinvestment.ru/en/news/artnews/20090703_mould_gainsborough_on_ebay.html
https://artinvestment.ru/news/artnews/20090703_mould_gainsborough_on_ebay.html
© artinvestment.ru, 2024
Attention! All materials of the site and database of auction results ARTinvestment.RU, including illustrated reference information about the works sold at auctions, are intended for use exclusively for informational, scientific, educational and cultural purposes in accordance with Art. 1274 of the Civil Code. Use for commercial purposes or in violation of the rules established by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation is not allowed. ARTinvestment.RU is not responsible for the content of materials submitted by third parties. In case of violation of the rights of third parties, the site administration reserves the right to remove them from the site and from the database on the basis of an application from an authorized body.
