subject: Recognising Antique Paintings [print this page] We've all heard stories about people finding old paintings in their attics or purchasing them at yard sales for a minor fee and then discovering that they had found antique paintings worth thousands.
While these occurrences are rare, there are times when that old oil painting or even water colour in your attic may be classified as an antique and be worth more than you think. So how do you know if the painting you have just found stashed behind that old dresser in your attic is an antique or just a worthless piece of junk?
The truth is there is no way of knowing for sure whether or not that painting is an original antique painting, an antique print or not an antique at all unless you have some working knowledge of paintings and art or contact someone that does.
An appraiser can certainly tell you whether a painting is an antique or not and even give you an idea of its worth. However, appraisals will cost you so you might want to try a few other things to at least know if the cost of the appraisal is worth it. Here are a few things to help determine whether or not that painting is worth taking to an appraiser:
Do Some Investigation
The first thing you are going to want to do is do a little investigation on your own. If the painting bears a signature, that's a great place to start. Nowadays, you can do a simple online search and see if the artist's name appears. Finding out the dates the artist did his work in will at least give you some idea if the painting is old enough to even be classified as an antique. If you can't find anything about the artist online then visit the curator of your local museum and he may be able to narrow it down for you.
Online Appraisals
Once you have assured yourself that you do have a work that may classify as an antique painting then you might want to see if there is a possibility that the work has any real value. There are companies that do online appraisals from photographs of your painting that are extremely cheap. While these appraisals are not the best, for a few dollars investment you will at least know if the painting is worth the cost of pursuing a more costly and personal appraisal. These online sites have expert appraisers so they can give you a fair idea if the painting is worth taking to someone to find out its real value.
If the online appraisals state that the painting is indeed an antique of some value then it is time to find a good antique painting appraiser and find out the true worth of that treasure you found in your attic. Most antique auctioneers will be able to give you a valuation. Keep in mind that even if the painting turns out to be a copy or a print it may still be quite valuable to a collector somewhere. The only way you will ever know is to take the risk of finding out.
