Antiques: Paintings contain all kinds of info. How amateurs can attempt authentication

One of the most challenging aspects of evaluating a painting is understanding its origins. 

The world is filled with thousands of lovely paintings by no-name artists, condemning them to "decorative" status and filling the walls of apartments and thrift stores. And then there are other paintings done in the style of so-and-so with all the same features except for the fact that so-and-so never painted them. 

The provenance of a painting is its history: who painted it, where and when it was painted, and where it has been in the time between its creation and your looking at it now. Interestingly, the back often holds more clues than the front.

First of all, oil paintings are generally done on canvas or board while watercolors usually wind up on paper. All other things equal, watercolors generally sell for a fraction of an equivalent painting in oils. Unless great care is taken, watercolors fade over time and the medium of paper — even high-quality artist's paper — is fragile and subject to damage in the event that handling is required. 

The back of an oil painting can include all kinds of information. Stamps or factory labels from the companies that made the component parts are not uncommon, nor are labels from galleries, museums or auction houses that the painting might have passed through. 

Artists will frequently sign their art on both the front and back, and sometimes include a title, description, date, setting or other information in their own hand. Occasionally, small sketches will appear that give evidence of the artist's creative process. 

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While authenticating a potentially high-end painting should be left to experts, amateurs can look for certain aspects that offer hints of authenticity. Inspecting the painting with a flashlight and magnifying glass can help identify irregularities. Paintings that have been restored will not bring the premium prices of one in original condition, and examination with an ultra-violet or blacklight can turn up evidence of over-painting. 

A close inspection of the artist's signature and comparison with known examples is a further way to gain or lose comfort with what you're looking at. Note, however, that top-shelf forgers have become extremely proficient in mastering the techniques and script of years past, to the point where acclaimed experts may waffle when asked to confirm the work of certain high-value artists. 

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The wood braces, known as stretchers, that give rigidity to the canvas may appear new, old or very old —  a further clue, if not a definitive one, to when the painting was made. American stretchers are generally made of white pine while those from Europe utilize a type of "light-grain" pine called deal, according to auction portal Invaluable.

The construction differs as well, even among American stretchers over the years. From about the middle of the 19th century to the end, the process of making American stretchers changed almost every decade, making them relatively easy to date. 

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All the same, old paintings are frequently re-stretched during their lifetimes if they've been knocked out of square, so finding relatively new stretchers in an old painting is not necessarily a disqualifier of originality.

Paintings on canvas that have been restored will often show evidence of a liner, i.e., a blank canvas hot-glued to the back of the original canvas to help support it. This process can squish areas of thicker paint applied by the artist to give dimension and is known as flattening. While sometimes vital to maintaining the integrity of the work and not necessarily a deal-killer, this will negatively impact value as well.

As for the rest, stamps and stickers from various showings and sales, if original, will frequently paint a useful picture of where a painting has been. Early canvas-makers often stamped them in black ink. Guides exist that show virtually every known stamp. 

While all that and more can be reproduced by cagey forgers, there are the occasional bingos that are bought for a song and then authenticated to a higher plane of value. According to Invaluable, an $85 painting purchased by a schoolteacher at an estate sale was found to be the work of acclaimed Hudson River School artist A.T. Bricher and ultimately sold for $150,000. It's not likely, but it can happen!

Mike Rivkin and his wife, Linda, are longtime residents of Rancho Mirage. For many years, he was an award-winning catalogue publisher and has authored seven books, along with countless articles. Now, he's the owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs.  His antiques column appears Saturdays in The Desert Sun. Want to send Mike a question about antiques? Drop him a line at info@silverfishpress.com.