Notes

Tableaux ancien
One of the first approaches to taking in order to assess the age of a painting is to ask how long it has been in your family. Some old paintings are in fact passed down from generation to generation. Knowing the date of its acquisition can give a first element of answer.



You can also perform a visual analysis. Old paintings are mainly painted in oils. An oil painting is made up of a wooden or canvas support, several layers of superimposed paint and a varnish. The first-hand experience of old paint must also take into account the aging of these elements, such as varnish, which tends to turn yellow or even mold.


Wood and canvas are the main supports for old painting. Wood has a great longevity, but time dries up and deforms it, which can damage the pictorial layer. If the panel is cracked, has a weathered color, or shows signs of insect attack, your painting is likely to be old. As for the canvas, the passage of time can stretch it or even break it. This causes cracks and possibly detachments of the pictorial layer. The condition of the sash and bug holes can also indicate how old your painting is.

How to date an old painting?
Be careful about your old painting. Some old painting subjects really relate to a reduced period of creation. Scenes of gallantry, for example, were very common in France in the 18th century. The dress style of the characters constitutes an important clue, in the context of aristocratic portraits for example.

Pay attention to style too. The composition, the use of certain colors, but also the craftsmanship of the old painting are all clues that allow us to determine an era, a geographical area, or even a painter.

You can also search museum or auction results databases to compare your painting with similar paintings.

The nature of the medium of an ancient painting also gives valuable information about its origin. Oak panels were used more in Flanders, the Netherlands and northern France, poplar panels in Italy and chestnut panels in Spain. Copper panels were relatively common among 17th century Flemish painters.

Over time, the wood gradually gave way to the canvas. The canvas weaving of old paintings was refined between the 17th and 19th centuries, allowing their dating to be clarified. Sometimes, however, an old canvas is re-lined on a more modern canvas. These kinds of details require an expert eye. An expertise carried out by an expert in old painting remains essential in order to determine its date of creation.

Watch out for nails or nail marks on the sash. The more the painting has been reassembled on a frame during a restoration, the older it can be assumed.

How to decipher the signature of an old painting?
A signature on an old board can be used to authenticate it. A database of artists' signatures like this one can, in this sense, be useful for you to compare your signature with those of old paintings authenticated with certainty.

The emergence of the art market around the 17th century is consistent with that of signature in paintings. It was indeed rarely customary, in some older periods, to sign old paintings, even by great masters.

A signature can be proof of the authenticity of an ancient painting, but it can also be fake. Indeed, the practice of signing paintings with more "sellable" names long after the painter's death is not uncommon. The signature is an element to be wary of, and resorting to an expert remains the best solution to authenticate an old painting.

How to recognize and date an old frame?
The old wooden frames have evolved over the ages. Renaissance frames are characterized by their sculptural appearance and their varied shapes (rectangular, oval, round). The gilded wood frames with heavy carved decoration stretch from the Louis XIII to Louis XV periods. Frames with a more rectilinear and severe design were common in the times of Louis XVI and the Empire.

Today, you can find new frames on the market made "in the style" of an era. Is tableaux ancien ,collection ,collectionneur galerie pour collectionneurs,vintage showing signs of wear over time? Insect holes or gaps suggesting it's old?

The frame can be misleading in dating an old painting, however, since it is not always contemporary. It can nevertheless give clues to the taste of collectors who have owned it.

What are the tools of the expert in estimating old paintings?
The Ancient Painting Expert is a specialist art historian who has sharpened his "eye" through the study of thousands of ancient paintings.

He also has technical tools that complement his visual expertise. Wood's lamp is used to detect repaints and restorations. He can also use x-rays to discover the presence of a hidden painting or signature.

The expert in ancient painting also spends a lot of time in libraries or archives, reconstructing the history of the painting by reading old sales catalogs or old artist biographies, for example.

How to find an expert in old paintings?
There are no specific regulations or diplomas in France to be an art expert. On the other hand, when authenticating an old painting by signing a certificate of authenticity for example, the expert in old painting engages his responsibility

Several art experts are grouped together in chambers or unions. To find an expert in old painting, you can consult the CNES, CNE or SFEP websites.You will then have to make an appointment, take care of transporting the painting to the expert's office and leave on place the table several days long enough for the expertise.

France Estimations brings together the first accessible online network of experts in specialized works and objects of art and of auctioneers. In 48 hours, you get a free first estimate of your old painting and sales advice. Depending on the value of your old painting, we offer you a tailor-made sales solution to sell it at the best price at auction or private sale.


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