Help with signature on painting

Hi. It's my first post so hopefully i won't screw it all up !

I bought this old painting at an estate sale. They had it tagged as unsigned but I found a signature. I just can't figure out what it says.

Also there is some faint writing in pencil on the wood in the frame. Is this something the artist may have done?

The previous owner apparently spent a lot of money restoring his art collection.. But that's all I know about him.

It looks like the year is 1914 (19?) In signature.

And on back is "Loch Ach??? N.B.". I think ?

Any help at all is much appreciated! t

 

Ok I don't know why it posted the same image multiple times!! I will try to fix that.

Here is the full back and one of the writing on wood. The size is 10" x 14" .

 

The writing on the back is the title or location. Loch Achray in Scotland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Achray

Debora

 

Oh wow. thank you !!!!

 

Looks like the conservator cleaned around the signature, not unusual, old varnish just makes it harder to read. Nice painting, I think the frame detracts from it a bit, it needs something a little less busy.

 

I'd suspect that the frame isn't genuinely old and has been added to the painting to add perceived value. (One can see how the reverse has been "antiqued" a bit.) The design certainly isn't period to the painting and I agree that it's distracting.

Debora

 

Here's a bit about N. B.
https://www.angloboerwar.com/forum/...as-an-abbreviation-after-scottish-place-names

 

Well found! (And I didn't know that. Glad I now do.)

Debora

 

I was just searching for what the NB meant. Thank you!! I only found the definition of NB as Latin for take note basically.

I found other paintings that had both Loch in title that also ended in NB. It seems so far to be all British artists. So it must be a common thing?

I'm not too fond of the frame either lol. It's got a few cracks in it and it's gold. Thats about the extent of my knowledge on frames.

 

I may play around with the signature in photoshop. Maybe it's possible to the distortion and try to work backwards to the original state? Maybe ?

 

Try taking a sharp picture in natural light, using direct and indirect lighting without glare.

 

Not sure the signature has been cleaned round: rather I think there has been some heavy retouching round it maybe partly obscuring it. The grass or twigs just to the right of it seem to have been painted around in much the same way.

 

Thanks so much for all of your help!

architrave - you think it looks it was possibly altered ? Apologies for my ignorance but why would someone do that? To try and pass it off as a more expensive piece I guess?

My only other art purchase was by accident It was over a year before I realized it was an original pastel. And another 6 months before I managed to figure out the artist. I only discovered it was not a print when I tried to take it out to clean the glass and my fingers turned blue !

I took some (hopefully) better photos.. I noticed on the back of the canvas what may be writing? But it's extremely faded if so.

 

Yes, it does look like a monogram signature. And I see "AJ" as well. Here is a place to search.

https://artistssignatures.com/monograms.php?page=0&letter=all

Debora

 

Maybe they just thought it looked a bit dull and wanted to brighten it up a bit.....

It may be an illusion but there seems too be a splash of blue paint down the water surface, about a quarter of the way across the picture from the left, then onto the frame, which would indicate some touching up after it was framed - a very amateur approach to restoration.

 

I think I see the area you are referring to. It has that same blue in the water at the bottom left area. I read that a blacklight may show things like that. Does that work? Or do you know of other ways to check?

I took it out of the frame and found more writing on the edge of frame. It has the initials "A.B. 14x20. 8119".

 

May we see the writing? Standards of penmanship change over time and can offer a clue as to dating.

Debora

 

John Henry Boel.

https://auctionet.com/en/625345-olja-pa-duk-signerad-och-daterad-1901/images#image_3

 

Very impressive!

Debora