Authentication and Evaluation of Art Objects: Email Letters from Readers
In August 2007, TFAO introduced a new feature publishing emails sent by readers with questions about art. Following are their questions.
6/18/08
Hello
I am inquiring about a tin painting I found in my basement. I have owned the house for over 50 years and the house was built in 1925. The tin painting was found behind a couple large windows and they were behind a stone wall. We had never seen it before and don't know how it got there.
The painting is tin and it has Jesus on the cross and on the right side of the painting there is a soldier with a sward in his hand pointing upright towards Jesus. Next to the Soldier there is a woman on her knees with her hands in a praying position straight out at Jesus. On the right side of Jesus is a woman with a scarf on her head and she is holding the ends in her hands up against her face and she is weeping and then there is Mary with a halo over her head. Beside Mary is probably Joseph with a halo over his head and he is praying with Mary. Joseph is wearing a brown robe.. The tin painting appears to be an oil painting.
On the bottom right there is a signature C. Des Tufo and on the bottom left there is a an emblem of two Keys in a X position and on the bottom of the X in the middle is a G. R. and on the top of the key X in the http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=502171213749351624/l=397235367/g=124368727/otsc=SYE/otsi=SAIS middle is a crown and it's plain and not fancy and it has a cross on top of it.
We found it in our basement when we were cleaning as our basement gets wet every year. The tin picture is in a frame and had cardboard across the back, which my son took off to see if anything was in the back, we kept the cardboard. The frame is brown and has a quarter of an inch of gold paint in the inner of the frame. the bottom of the frame is pretty well destroyed from the water all these years, it got rot spots all on the bottom, but worse on the left side. The tin painting itself has a lot of rust spots on it , mostly one third down, but you can see the picture ok.
Can you tell me anything about this picture and about how old it is and is it worth anything at all?? If you don't know, maybe you know of someone who dose know about this painting and you can give us there email or you could give him my letter to you along with the pictures I am sending along with this email. I would appreciate it very much if you could find out something about this painting. Thank you so much for your time in my concerns of this painting. Thank you again. The signature on the tin painting is above, I couldn't move it where I wanted to, sorry about that.
4/28/08
8/16/07:
Note:
While Traditional Fine Art Organization, Inc (TFAO) does not provide authentication or evaluation services, the information above is provided as a public service. TFAO is not paid by readers for listings in this page.
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