Paul Renouard Sketch: Isn't this sad that I won this auction for $20?

Yes, it's stained. But isn't it sad that an artist and illustrator who was admired by Vincent Van Gogh, for gosh sakes', can only garner $20 in the current art market? I haven't received this yet, but there was a notation on the paper saying it is an original drawing. The work is amazing! Even though it's not in perfect condition and not worth as much as it should be, I had to save it if it's an original.

 

Nice -- when you receive it, I hope you can post some better pictures.

 

It looks to have beautiful line quality!
I would like to see more pictures too.
Good find.

 

It's a nice study....and you were smart to grab it.

 

Thanks guys! you know the artist's name was right there in the Ebay listing title....but sadly, no one cares about him, I guess. I'll give him a nice frame I have here at home and hang him in my dining room for a while most likely.

 

I haven't been on Ebay in a loooong time. Methinks I'd better go back & check it out. Darn - I'd have outbid you for this!!!

 

Bear in mind the caveats in the original listing. Seller cannot guarantee that it is either an original drawing or that it is indeed the work of Renouard. However, for the price you paid there is no real risk.

 

It looks like it is an original to me. I've run it through a few image search engines and haven't come up with any match to any artist, although that's neither here nor there. If it's not Renouard, it looks to be someone equally talented. But I'll let you all know when I receive it. I seriously think no one cares about this artist, or has heard of him.

 

Please let us know when you get it, can't wait to find out, good luck here's hopin, is strange, the lack of interest..

 

And here's another one. Originally Sold by Bonham's as attributed to Sir Thomas Lawrence. The seller is a very trustworthy one on Ebay, and yet this only got a little more than $211. Even though it's just an attribution, I still would have thought it would have gone for much, much more. BTW I did NOT bid on this auction. But I thought I would post this. What's going on in the market if this only got a $211 bid? Is it works on paper as opposed to oils? Is it the art market in general? Is it changing tastes? Is it Ebay? I don't get it.
Item # 131437808963

 

I know as an art buyer, I hardly ever look at drawings or prints. It is not that I would not like to have some of them but have only so much time to look. My primary interest is paintings so I focus my efforts there. Every now and then I will stray a bit further and look at other things but that is the exception rather than the rule. The sheer volume of merchandise on ebay makes it difficult to find everything.

 

There are simply too many items for sale on ebay at any point in time. It is almost impossible for items to get the proper visibility. Unless you are searching specifically for ""Lawrence" or "Renouard", etc. you are unlikely to spot an item. In addition, it is important to note that neither work bears a signature or estate stamp or any other mark. They were both sold with pretty big caveats. If you look at Bonham's terms of sale you will see that even if they list a piece as being "BY" an artist rather than "attributed to" him/her they are not offering any warranties. In the case of the Renouard drawing seller is very unclear as to whether or not it is an original drawing or even by the artist. The lack of quotation marks in the sentence "In looking at the paper underneath the wood I can make out the words Paul Renouard Original drawing study of a child." makes it confusing. It is highly unlikely that Renouard, a French artist, would inscribe his works with titles in English. It is far more likely that all of the writing, including the artists' name, was added by another hand and at a later date.

Despite that fact that eBay believes that people are basically honest, there is so much outright forgery, fraud, and/or misrepresentation in the art category that many serious collectors will no longer touch pieces with an ebay provenance (except maybe for the Édouard Vuillard painting featured on Fake or Fortune season three episode 1).

 

Good points, Mark and Brad. You are both right in that the sheer volume of items on Ebay make it very hard to find everything. However, in the case of the Lawrence, the seller routinely sells paintings for thousands. There are obviously some collectors who are not worried about buying works of art on Ebay.

I think you first have to take a good look at the seller's other items when buying any kind of art or antique on Ebay. Obviously, it they have 50 Picassos listed, it's a red flag. But for these particular sellers, I think they're getting items out of estate sales, yard sales, auctions, etc. just like most of us would do, and listing them. It would be the same crap shoot if you or I personally found the items ourselves at a house sale. Obviously the provenances are not air tight, but what items are? Even items that have come out of the homes of the Rockefellers have had fakes in their midst.
It's all food for thought to me and interesting because it makes me ask "What is ANY art really worth?"

 

It's all just paint and canvas...the rest is provenance.

 

The Paul Renouard attribution is almost certainly correct. A lovely little drawing. However, it should be noted that minor unsigned Renouard drawings without sig, cachet or provenance have little currency on the market, even if known authentic. I'd buy it for $20 in a hot second...and never let it go for $20...more like $250.

The so called Thomas Lawrence could be almost anything. Charming, though, if that's all you want. Not particularly impressed with the Bonham's attribution. Instant pass.

 

Should add that I'm assuming the PT is an original not a very fine facsimile. Could only tell for sure from better photos.

 

Thanks for your comments, Alec. Interesting to read what you thought about the attributed Lawrence. Wonder why Bonham's wasn't more stringent with that attribution? It sounds like maybe they weren't.
I received the drawing, thought you all might want to take a look. It looks like ink and pencil, but to me it looks like the baby has pubic hair! I removed it from the frame, it's mounted onto cardboard, but looks like an original to me. What do you think? In the last photo, if you look at the top left you can see a number (3?) and the letter z? Don't know what that refers to. Also, on the label it looks like it says "collection of Paul", doesn't it.

 

Very nice drawing...although, if I'm reading the photos corectly, lightstruck and stained. If it were mine I'd find out what a paper conservator would charge to fix it up a bit.Great to frame and mat for your own enjoyment.

It would likely be possible to research it out and attribute with near certainty. But time consuming, therefore not cost effective as a business proposition...more a labor of love.

Re the Lawrence. I doubt Bonham's seriously believed it is the genuine article but also faced your cost effectiveness dilemma.

 

Thank you Alec for your thoughts on it. I think conserving it and getting out that stain would be pretty expensive, at least $200-300.. I knew before buying it that Renouard is, sadly, an overlooked artist and that his works aren't valuable in today's market, but I think it's amazing that his drawings were collected by Van Gogh, and his work is incredible....very similar to Degas. I'm just going to leave the piece as it is, frame it up in a nice frame I already own and call it a day. When I get tired of it, I'll sell it as is and maybe one day it will get restored somehow.