Showing posts with label Signature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Signature. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Jan Moniuszko

City Nord, from Hamburg, Germany sells as lot 1537 a "1st half of 20th century, signed "L. Donivsz..."(?)" Dancer with monkeys, estimated at 250 Euro.

It is a charming work by Jan Czeslaw Moniuszko.(Poland, 1853-1908), known for his depictions of the rich having balls and parties. Typical fin-de-siècle upper-class art with little message or conviction but lots of style and elegance. This one is smaller than usual, and a bit weirder, showing some kind of circus or street theatre act. Style, subject and signature match. It should be worth closer to 1,000 Euro probably.

Tuesday, 24 May 2016

"French Impressionist Lavoy" is Belgian painter Jean Laudy


Eva Aldag, from Germany, sells on 28 May 2016 a "French Impressionist, 1st half 20th c., Lavoy" estimated at 350 Euro.

It is a work by Belgian painter Jean Laudy (1877-1956, father of Jacques Laudy, collaborator of Hergé). The signature could indeed also be read as Lavoy, but both the signature and the work fit the works of Laudy perfectly. I have only found two other works by a "J. Lavoy", sold in the 90s at Bonham's, but without pictures: I wonder if they also weren't misread Laudy works.

The painting for sale fits his more early, rougher style: his later works are often more polished. He was  a very productive painter and many of his works are a bit boring, but his best works are very well composed and executed. This work, while perhaps only intended as a sketch, is attractive. His best works fetch 10,000 Euro and more, but this one will not reach these relative heights (the work shown above, "Curious after the result", sold for 2,200 Euro in 2015). It will be a success if it gets sold for 1,000 Euro, but hopefully to someone who at least will know which artist he gets.

Wednesday, 23 March 2016

"Simon Agonian" is "Simon Agopian" instead

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 7 April 2016 a "Simon Agonian" signed 1911 view of Constantinople estimated at 200 to 300 Euro.

The painting is by Simon Agopian (with a P), an Armenian painter of the early 20th century who is fairly well collected, and should be worth 2,000 to 3,000 Euro instead.

UPDATE: sold for 2,400 Euro, right in the middle of my estimate!