van der Werf still life
Grant Menzies
canvas and mounted at some point on board. It was also placed in an
antique-style frame (I'm guessing some time in the 1960's). The
artist has signed the painting "H. v. d. Werf," and there is a small
brass plaque on the frame bearing the same name. Here's an image of
the painting:
http://www.villagephotos.com/viewimage.asp?id_=4482339
Anybody recognize this artist?
Grant
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Grant Menzies
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Kris Baker
"Grant Menzies" <scot...@europa.com> wrote in message
news:3f47d276...@news1.us.net...
> I recently inherited a Dutch-style still life, painted in oil on
> canvas and mounted at some point on board. It was also placed in an
> antique-style frame (I'm guessing some time in the 1960's). The
> artist has signed the painting "H. v. d. Werf," and there is a small
> brass plaque on the frame bearing the same name. Here's an image of
> the painting:
>
> http://www.villagephotos.com/viewimage.asp?id_=4482339
>
> Anybody recognize this artist?
>
> Grant
Can't you give a link that doesn't require a log-in or registration?
Kris
Grant Menzies
http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=4482339&selected=446440
Smorgass Bored
The closest that I came was an A. (Adrian) Van der Werf(f) 1657-1722 .
I also did a google (but, not as well as Kris) and an MSN search.
Are you CERTAIN about the spelling of your artists name ?
Doug
~>*(((>< Big fish eat Little fish ><)))*<~
Kris Baker
"Smorgass Bored" <Smorga...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:26910-3F...@storefull-2314.public.lawson.webtv.net...
I found this through Altavista, and it mentions the artist's name
exactly the way the OP did:
http://www.brucop.com/gallery/english/
I dunno.
Kris
Grant Menzies
I think you've solved the mystery, Kris - based on this web site, I
gather the artist was Fia van Driel, using the pseudonym "H. V. D.
Werf." In fact, I wonder if the "Antique flowers by H. v. d. Werf"
listed in the catalogue is not my painting. This would explain the
1950's-1960's pseudo-Baroque frame and the false antiquing on the
back.
Thanks for the sleuthing!
Mike Brown
>
> I think you've solved the mystery, Kris - based on this web site, I
> gather the artist was Fia van Driel, using the pseudonym "H. V. D.
> Werf." In fact, I wonder if the "Antique flowers by H. v. d. Werf"
> listed in the catalogue is not my painting. This would explain the
> 1950's-1960's pseudo-Baroque frame and the false antiquing on the
> back.
>
reproduction. One of 100's of thousands produced in the Far East and
sold through out the west in psuedo antique shops, fairs, and auction
houses. The "false antiquing" as you call it is a common trade mark of
these copies and usually incorporates a label of a framer or art
dealer.
Mike
Grant Menzies
Actually, there's no bubble to burst - Fia van Driel was still turning
out these pseudo-antique still lifes into the 1960's, and I imagine
the one I have came from the gallery of Jack Alden in New Orleans,
which offered her work to the trade marts.
See this web site:
http://www.brucop.com/gallery/nederlands/catalogue/e/
and scroll down to images e-d19 (signed as "Fia v. Driel") and e-p01
and e-p02. Then compare with the image I posted. My painting clearly
comes from the same series. As a literally working artist, van Driel
painted dozens of the same images for sale on the popular art market.
No wonder this painting always seemed strangely "young" to me, as well
as naive in style and technique. It's also painted on the "Leinewand"
or canvas board she frequently used. Very interesting discovery,
thanks to Kris Baker.
Mike Brown
> Actually, there's no bubble to burst - Fia van Driel was still
turning
> out these pseudo-antique still lifes into the 1960's, and I imagine
> the one I have came from the gallery of Jack Alden in New Orleans,
> which offered her work to the trade marts.
>
Sorry Grant,
Still not convinced. The framing and hints you gave about the way the
back of the picture had been finished smells of Chinese mass produced
reproduction. Can we see a photograph of the back of the picture
please.
Mike
Grant Menzies
Here's the back of the painting, Mike.
http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=4500165
While I'm open to any provenance - that's why I posed the question to
this newsgroup, after all! - as a collector I tend to use the Occam's
Razor approach, and it's a little hard to accept that a Chinese outfit
would fake the work of an obscure Dutch painter, using one of her more
obscure pseudonyms, when she herself was already mass-producing said
paintings, and selling them cheaply. The Bruijnesteijn web site
indicates that there is evidence that a few of the "Tilly Moes" floral
still lifes - modern, pastel works that were much more popular than
these "antique" pictures - were forged, but there are only two "H. v.
d. Werf" pictures in the web site's catalogue, and I rather doubt she
made much of a killing off this. Why would it be worth a Chinese
artist's time? Better to reproduce the work of well-known painters
and, ergo, make more money off the work.
I will get in touch with both the Alden heirs and the Bruijnesteijn
family and see what they think. Meantime, see what you think :-)
Grant
PS: The only label on the back of this picture is the sales card,
which lists the painting at both retail and wholesale prices (it was
bought by a designer at the discount), and states the FOB as "New York
City." Nothing else that I can find. The signature, by the way, is
in the same brown paint as van Driel's signatures, in various
pseudonyms, on her other paintings.
Mike Brown
>
> Here's the back of the painting, Mike.
>
> http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=4500165
>
Hi Grant,
Thanks for posting the photograph, well I agree it doesn't look like a
chinese special from the back. They are usually sealed all over with
backing paper, have a fake framers label attached and then waxed to
give and antique effect. Sometimes they are even treated with
Rottenstone (a substance with a foul smell) to give the nose that
convincing smell of old age. Floral/Still life paintings such as yours
are the bread and butter of the chinese reproduction trade, if you do
a search on google - oil painting reproductions wholesale china - you
will get a whole list of sites, each selling much the same product.
> While I'm open to any provenance - that's why I posed the question
to
> this newsgroup, after all! - as a collector I tend to use the
Occam's
> Razor approach, and it's a little hard to accept that a Chinese
outfit
> would fake the work of an obscure Dutch painter, using one of her
more
> obscure pseudonyms, when she herself was already mass-producing said
> paintings, and selling them cheaply. The Bruijnesteijn web site
> indicates that there is evidence that a few of the "Tilly Moes"
floral
> still lifes - modern, pastel works that were much more popular than
> these "antique" pictures - were forged, but there are only two "H.
v.
> d. Werf" pictures in the web site's catalogue, and I rather doubt
she
> made much of a killing off this. Why would it be worth a Chinese
> artist's time? Better to reproduce the work of well-known painters
> and, ergo, make more money off the work.
>
I'm not familiar with this artist but certainly many jobbing artists
made their living this way. You haven't mentioned how you came by the
picture, very often the trail before a purchase can be the best
evidence for authentication. This ng is all about exploration and the
spreading of knowledge, I hope that you come back to us here with any
further information you find.
Regards,
Mike