Very old looking for any help on identifying. This is 24” x 32” oil on canvas.

Beautiful oil painting need some help.

 

I believe the signature is in this what looks to be painted over black area.

 

And you got it where? And they told you what?

Debora

 

It appears to be a (rough) copy of a Jan Breugel the Younger painting.

 

Hello Debora,

you amaze me always first of all thank you. I got this at an estate sale I asked for any info on it I could get. They said since they had no signature they did not know what it was worth. I do know it is very old could it be a Jan Bruegel?

 

I doubt it's a Jan Brueghel since the detail isn't there. Also probably not nearly as old. The nail heads are round and fairly consistent so probably post-1810 but sometime pre-1900. If you can't find any other less-intrusive dating methods, you could try popping out a nail from the stretcher to see if the shank is round or square.

Nails as clues to age (realorrepro.com)

Also, either the stretcher bars are warped from age or didn't fit that well to begin with. The bottom stretcher is fairly knotty so probably not higher end. I believe a more expensive stretcher would have been CVG.

 

The original is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Yours may very well be a museum copy. (Until not too long ago in the pre-postcard age, artists could set up easels in museums and work directly from an original which they then sold to the public.)

Debora

 

Hello Debora,

I am very happy with this information you and techbiker have provided. You guys are very helpful what a great group to be a part of thank you very much.

 

Joe, that is like asking if a painting could be a Rembrandt. If you ever found a true Jan Brueghel, you would be extremely lucky.

 

Anything is possible it has been done more than once. But thank you for you comment.

 

Is there a word written in the center of the top stretcher bar?