Featured Help w/Identifying Antique Oil on Canvas Painting

hi everyone. this is a piece i purchased at a local antique faire a couple of weeks ago. it was a very slow day for me and i saw nothing that really caught my attention. this was being sold by a vendor that sells a lot of art, whom i've bought from in the past. it was a whopping $10. she just wanted to get rid of it. i figured, what the heck? it's actually very beautiful in its own right. the colors underneath all of the varnish are stunning. i think it's probably late 19th or very early 20th century. it could be older. there is no discernible signature, which as you can see, doesn't mean it isn't signed. when i bought it, i was thinking it might sell in its present, as-is, state. the way the varnish seems to bubble around the forest areas, but not the sky almost seems intended. i'm wondering if anyone out there has ever seen other paintings where this sort of staining was used as an intended effect? it is dark, but under good light, it sort of has a pointillist/impressionist quality. also, as you study the different areas of the painting up close, i don't see how it isn't stained beyond repair, or perhaps it was an intended effect. anyway, i've provided a couple of different examples of pictures to give you a sense of how it looks in different light as well as some close-ups. it is very dark, but quite beautiful. any feedback or opinions will be appreciated...thanks

 

I agree, it is has a special mystery like this.
But what we are seeing is actually a yellow varnish that was applied to 'repair' an older, badly aged and possibly inexpertly cleaned varnish. That happens occasionally, but in this case it has almost created a new piece of art.

 

Like it a lot Jim-I'd call it a Tonalist piece.Id def look into getting it restored, need an expert on this.
I'd just Goog reputable restorers online and see who'll at least volunteer an opinion (an maybe estimate).

 

thank you both. i like that term "tonalist." the problem with cleaning it is, i bought this for resale. i have a feeling cleaning this could be costly. i am aware, it could be a good artist underneath all of that varnish, but then it could also be unsigned. i forgot to mention the dimensions. it measures 16" x 20". also, here's another version of the photograph. i think this one actually captures the full saturation in the colors.

 

Yes, it would. And if it isn't a quality painting, it is probably more attractive if you leave it like this. I'm sure we are not the only ones who see the mystery.

 

I'd get an estimate on cleaning because it could be quite lovely underneath

 

Agree w/ AJ-A lot of it's allure may be in the fact that like a Pompeian fresco, lots of it's beautiful mystery could be because of it's ruined (relic) state.
I'd keep it,get as much free expert advice as I could,and then very carefully experiment on it myself-a few tiny areas at first.
PS-Art is the one thing few things we rarely re-sell though. Stuff we really love's irreplaceable on our current budget.

 

It's very autumnal, darkening and moody. I like it, and the price was great.

Removing varnish, in my experience, is a more difficult thing than cleaning dirt and grime. There are easy-to-find artwork varnish removers online, but when using them, finding the 'boundary' between varnish and original paint is subtle. Sometimes the paint remains adequately 'fixed' and the varnish comes satisfyingly off; sometimes they both come off together and you regret having ever messed with it!

 

i like that "Pompeian fresco" analogy. you're giving me lots of good descriptive terms for this. i have already tried a little spit on a q-tip in the lower right corner, as well as some stuff i bought at an art supply store that's a bit stronger. based on my research on youtube with removing varnish, the only thing that's going to take all of this off is a mixture of mineral spirits and ammonia. the fellow that demonstrates this technique has done work for the royal family in England. the problem is, and he's very specific about this, after applying the mineral spirits, you must apply the "neutralizing agent" or you'll start removing the paint too. he doesn't mention what the neutralizing agent is. no, this is way beyond my skill set. i don't even know if it can be restored. when you start examining specific areas, it looks like the varnish bubbles are what's left of the artwork. i think Any Jewlery's first answer is probably most correct.

 

yes, i agree.

 

....and that would not be the first time that was true!!

 

Jim-You going to pop it on Ebay, when and how much ? BIN or Auction ?

 

yes, that will probably be where it winds up. i usually do BINs. the price is what i'm trying to figure out. i also have to find a good box before i list it.

 

Here's more than anyone should/would want to know,unless one poss owned a painting by a US Tonalist artist !
American Tonalists- George Inness,Whistler,Pinkham Ryder,William Keith,etc.(love these guys)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonalism

Worth note-
"It is a documented issue that some Tonalist paintings, particularly those by American artists who used certain experimental or non-standard techniques, are prone to problems like
craquelure and varnish issues. These issues are often linked to specific materials and methods rather than the Tonalist style in general."
-more to boggle your brain !
"Tonalists' techniques are significant and common case studies in art conservation today due to their
inherent vice—a term used by conservators to describe a work's self-destructive nature. Because Tonalists prioritized mood and atmospheric "depth" over structural stability, their works frequently present the following ongoing challenges:

1. Complex Material Incompatibility
Tonalists often layered materials that responded differently to environmental changes, a major focus of modern conservation research.

• 
  
  
  • Layering Over Dry Paint: George Inness famously painted new compositions over old, fully dried ones. As these distinct layers aged, they contracted at different rates, leading to deep, permanent mechanical craquelure.
  • Experimental Mediums: The use of "secret" recipes involving non-traditional additives like bitumen (asphalt) or excessive solvents (turpentine) has led to paintings that never truly stabilize, often resulting in "blistering" or softening decades later.

• 
  
  • 2. Varnish and Surface Issues
    The specific "hazy" aesthetic of Tonalism relied on heavy glazing and varnishing, which are problematic for current museum staff:
    • Bubbling and Blistering: Applying thick, resinous varnishes over paint that had not fully cured often trapped gases, leading to the varnish bubbling mentioned.
    • Irreversible Restoration: In the past, darkened Tonalist paintings were often over-cleaned or over-varnished, making modern attempts at restoration difficult. Today, conservators use synthetic pigments and reversible materials to ensure that any new repairs do not cause further chemical damage.
    • 
      3. Modern Conservation Strategies (2025)
      As of 2025, several high-profile exhibitions, such as Dawn & Dusk: Tonalism in Connecticut at Fairfield University Art Museum, highlight the need for specialized care of these works:
      • Climate Control: Because Tonalist works are highly sensitive to humidity, which triggers the swelling and shrinking of their multiple layers, they require strictly controlled environments.
      • Minimal Intervention: Modern ethics favor "minimal intervention". Instead of aggressive lining (adding a secondary canvas), conservators now use specialized techniques like crack-flattening with controlled moisture and heat to stabilize the surface without altering the original's texture.
      • Advanced Imaging: Conservators utilize X-rays and infrared photography to map the "hidden" layers of overpainting common in Tonalist works, allowing them to treat the structural core of the painting without damaging the delicate upper glazes.
      • 
        
        
        
        
        

 

JMHO, for $10 spent I would have it taken care of. If the cost is crazy, well then, I might just have to keep it

 

i will say, based on the information bosko69 has provided above, i'm more inclined to at least look into conservation. this might be a pretty good painting underneath all of that bubbled varnish. the thing that initially drew me to the piece was the colors, which are gorgeous. i guess i could start with contacting Connecticut at Fairfield University Art Museum and see what they think.

 

I'd keep it too-but Art's our main thing (aside frm Cats,Gardens,Travel..).

As a caution re 'Restoration' (re: Inness anyway),I did read this-

"...due to George Inness's experimental and complex painting techniques, some of his paintings were created with materials and methods that led to their deterioration, making certain details or even the entire image almost unidentifiable and functionally impossible to restore to their original appearance.
Inness often prioritized atmospheric effect and "poetic truth" over durability, applying paint thickly, "wet-in-wet," and using various textural methods like scrubbing with his fingers and rags. This experimental nature, while contributing to his unique Tonalist style, often resulted in structural instability and material issues in the long term.

A key factor in the difficulty of restoration is Inness's use of multiple, distinct layers of different mediums and glazes that did not always blend or adhere well over time. As art conservation aims to use fully reversible, archival-grade materials, working with these inherent instabilities and previous damage, including clumsy 19th-century touch-ups, presents unique challenges.

For example, a painting like 'Curfew Hour' at the Met Museum of Art has suffered from such severe deterioration of its surface and image that details are now almost unidentifiable.

However, modern conservation techniques have successfully restored many Inness works, often by carefully reversing older, non-archival conservation attempts and stabilizing the canvas with new methods and reversible adhesives. Conservators can now devise systems where each new layer is a different, compatible medium that will not bleed into the paint below, allowing Inness's unique colors to be re-created where possible.
Ultimately, while some individual paintings may be too far gone for full restoration to their original state, many others can still be conserved to appreciate their subtleties and atmosphere."

Wether this painter was an experimental Tonalist like Inness-who knows ?

 

Sorry,Re-Post...repost...repost

 

thank you so much. all of this information you've provided is very helpful. when i've examined the bubbling material(varnish or what ever it is) and how it mixes with the actual pigment in specific areas of this painting, yi can see that this isn't a matter of just a "coat of varnish" laying over an artwork. it's actually part of the artwork. the way these two elements intermingle, i can see now that this probably can't be cleaned without ruining the painting. i'm pretty sure the material that's bubbling was probably originally an element of the artwork itself that didn't age well. if there was some way to figure out who the artist is, that's probably about as far as you'd want to take it. i do notice that along the stretcher on the backside there's paper afixed to it. i've wondered if there isn't something written on the actual stretcher.

 

And one more comment: I sometimes use a very bright flashlight (a bicycle headlight, actually) to search for a signature. There have been times when I've been able to see one that I had previously not seen in regular lighting.