Expert: Jeni Andrews-Fraser - 3/22/2008

Question
have this oil painting from my great grandfather , i dont know any information about it , the painting is in fair condition , i dont see a signature on the painting I dont know if it is earased or it not signed.
there is only two stamps at the back of the canvas , i dont know what it means , if anyone have helpful information please respond.
here is an image of the painting
http://www.sarket.com/new1.jpg
http://www.sarket.com/new2.jpg
Best Regards,
Amr

Answer
Hello Amr - and thank you for your question.  It's quite difficult to 'read' anything from the images you sent (although I do appreciate you sending them) - they suffer from the reflection of the flash and are too dark to really discern the subject, beyond the obvious sheep! In cases like yours, I recommend you taking the picture to a local fine art dealer (possibly one specialising in 19th century paintings - because I think it is from that period).  The dealer will be able to tell you about the stamps on the back of the canvas (which may be sales stamps or dealer stamps indicating an exchange/sale of this painting - and which could be dated); cleaning may reveal the all-important signature but, again, a fine art dealer will be able to help you.  Sometimes handling an artwork can reveal much more than merely looking at it.

The reason I think it is 19th Century (possibly English, Victorian) is that there was a fashion for such paintings at the time.  Pastoral - or idyllic 'landscape' scenes were a branch of Romanticism and your painting shows a farmyard collection of animals being tended by a young (peasant) woman in a barn (I think it might be an 'indoor' scene because of the visible window in the background) which would fit with this assessment.

Unsigned, un-attributed, it may not be worth much at all.  If you are interested in a valuation, then, again, the fine art dealer will be able to help you with that.

I wish you luck on your search and hope the results are what you wish for.

Cheers
Jeni