Has secret Paul Cezanne masterpiece been discovered in the attic of Northampton home?
A PAINTING potentially worth £40 million has been unearthed in the attic of a Northampton home.
Auctioneers have examined the painting, thought to bear the signature of French post-impressionist, Paul Cezanne.
If it is proved to be authentic, it would be the earliest piece of work to have been created by the painter.
The owner of the painting, who does not want to be named, said it appeared to have the date 1854 marked on it.
He realised it could be something special when he recognised some of the painting’s detailed brush strokes and signature markings in a book on post-impressionism.
The four foot by three foot painting depicts a small house with an orange roof by a river surrounded by trees.
He said: “I bought it at an old picture shop because I liked the frame.
“But the painting was curled up so tight with easily 50 years of dirt on it.
“It wasn’t until I was reading an art book that I started to compare it to Cezanne and then I carefully unravelled it so I could see the markings.
“I realised that I could be looking at the first-ever Paul Cezanne painting.
“I’ll be keeping it very safe until an expert can confirm what I believe.”
After dusting down the picture and its frame, it was examined by auctioneer Tim Conrad, at Wilfords Auctions in Wellingborough, yesterday who agreed with the owner that there is a chance the painting could be a genuine Cezanne. He said: “The strokes certainly look like Paul Cezanne and it was usual for him to use a variety of signature styles.
“It could be a piece of his earlier work.
“If it is, then the impact would be enormous for all of Northamptonshire.
“The odds are probably against him, but if he’s right then it would fetch £40 million easily.
“These things only turn up when somebody has bothered to research them.”
The painting is now being taken to the National Gallery where it will be looked at by experts before being tested for similarities.
FACTFILE
Cezanne was a post-Impressionist painter born in the French town of Aix-en-Provence. He is remembered for bridging the gap between 19th Century impressionism and early 20th Century Cubism. His earliest painting was a portrait of his Uncle Dominique in 1865, but his gallery of artwork includes, still-life, portraits, paintings and watercolours. A medal in his name is presented annually to artists for special achievements in the arts. Cezanne died in 1906 of pneumonia after initially refusing to stop painting outside during a storm.
“Still life with curtain, pitcher and bowl of fruit” (1893) sold at auction in New York in 1999 for £38m.
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Comments
There are 8 comments to this article
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willi eckaslyke
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 06:47 AMFranklyFrank.....I of course meant that the CONCEPT of proof reading is now old hat - you have aways been hep to me.
lady muck
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 08:32 PMblizzy boy...I think you'll find 'Crying Boy' is a self-portrait by 'The Count'.
lady muck
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 08:13 PMHow can you 'unearth' something in an attic ? Is it underground ?
mojo
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 06:44 PMSince Woolworths closed it doors for the final time over a year ago anything baring it's name must have increased in value, hang on to that painting for future generations.
FranklyFrank
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 05:50 PMI'd like to point out that not all proof readers are old-fashioned - I consider myself to be bordering on hep!
kronik
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 03:34 PMWho buys a framed picture with the canvass rolled up? Canvas is normally stretched and attached to a frame prior to painting except those supplied from the far east! well it's not far off 1st April
blizzy boy
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 12:36 PMI too found an old painting in my attic a few years ago of a "crying boy" with a signature F.W. WOOLWORTHS on it i'm hoping it may be worth a few grand can anyone shed any light on this artist?
willi eckaslyke
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 11:27 AMDear Editor.....It might be an idea to take on an old-fashioned proof reader...OR, kick your current spell-check into touch
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