Quality more important than age with paintings

Hardly a day goes by when I’m not asked to value a painting that somebody has brought along. Often the owners fall into the old trap that ‘if it’s old it must be valuable’. Sadly, that’s not a reliable rule. To begin with, save for the real top end, and old masters, paintings generally are mostly dropping in value. Fashions change, and art that was still fetching decent prices as recently as 10 years ago, may well have dropped significantly. Once very popular, Victorian water colours are a good example. Many are still beautiful works of art, but they generally don’t suit the style and decor of most modern houses, and therefore the market for them has dropped away greatly. This is especially true of the signature green and brown landscapes that dominated that era. There are exceptions, of course. Marine subjects still sell well, so look out for boats, harbours, coastlines, and the like. So what else should you look out for? Well, aim for quality rather than age. There are good 20th century English works that are far more saleable that poorer art from centuries past. Keep an eye out for good detail too, and try and research the name of the artist wherever possible. Mid-size paintings are the most popular, again partly due to the practicalities of modern living.

Of course, if you can find a good quality painting that is genuinely old, then you are far more likely to get a good price. The easiest way to tell an early painting is by looking at the canvas.

Before the 19th century, the weave was quite wide, but from the early 1800s they were woven much tighter. Very early works were produced on wooden panels, or leather. Good makes were often stamped with an identifying mark as well. Finally, don’t worry about the frame too much. Although some good quality frames can be worth something in their own right, the frame won’t affect the value of the actual painting.

Find out more about Clive Attrell at freeantiquesvaluations.com

Damage around an old painting on wood and right, a coarser weave can indicate an older canvas