Copy of Alegoria de la Virgen del Carmen
This is a 21" x 25" oil painting on canvass. It is based on "Alegoria de la Virgen del Carmen" painted by Andres Lopez in 1791 located at the Museo de la Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The painting has been in my family, in Mexico City, for four generations, which would take it back to the end of the XIX century. Prior to that, there is no information.
Inherited
No
Dear Gerardo,
Thank you for your help and patience. Indeed the signature is very difficult to read and thank you for the very helpful preparatory work.
The presented object appears to be a painting made in oil paint on canvas with the measurements of 25 x 21 inches. This painting is a copy of the painting "Alegoría de la Virgen del Carmen" painted by the artist Andrés Lopéz in the year 1791 (http://52.183.37.55/artworks/20124). This later version appears regarding the signature made by the Mexican artist Rafael Joaquín Gutiérrez (1730 - 1800). This artist mainly painted small-sized artworks with oil on copper. This artwork differs in the canvas. Also, the faces and details like the hands are usually very detailed painted which can be partly explained with the surface of the copper which allows more distinctive details. It was common that artists copied successfully and known artworks from each other. Also, such theological depictions were interpreted as a place or cause for pilgrimage. To possess a copy of a theurgic painting transfers this function over the motif to the copy.
Works by this artist were recently offered and sold on the international auction market.
This piece is in medium condition and there are serious damages visible in the images provided.
A fair market estimation would be between 3.000 to 7.000 USD.
This estimate is based on actual recent past recorded auction sales of comparable items. Retail "asking prices" can be higher and may vary.
An artwork of such high potential value requires further authentication research. This estimate is provided on the condition of authenticity.
With kind regards,
Georg
In my previous comment, I assumed that you needed more information from us. If that's the case, please let us know how we can help.
Dear Gerardo,
Thank you for your email and I wish you a Happy Easter. May I have some more details of the signature? Thank you very much.
With kind regards,
George
Thanks George for your resonse and Happy Easter to you too.
The signature is very hard to read for three reasons. 1) It´s tiny, about an inch long. 2) it´s written in black against a very dark background, so there is very little contrast 3) the darkened and dirty varnish isn´t helping.
It took us three days looking at the signature through different angles, lighting and magnifying glasses to figure it out. Still, not all letters are legible. We’ve tried several ways to take a photograph where it could stand out more, but I don’t have the necessary equipment to make it work.
The signature is on the bottom left corner. There’s an attached picture with how it looks unedited. I’m attaching some additional files where we edited a picture to increase the contrast. There is another picture from a painting from Rafael Joachin Gutierrez (auctioned by La Suite Subastas, June 25 2020 Lot 126) that we used to compare signatures, and then, on a third image, I’m trying to highlight where we see each letter.
I know, it’s kind of a stretch. We feel fairly confident because we were able to read the name before knowing that the painter existed and some letters such as the capital G match his style. He is signing as “Rafael Joachin de Gutierrez”
For additional reference, I added another picture where I'm drawing an orange oval around where the signature is located in the painting. Perhaps in that photo the signature is easier to see.
Thank you for your help and please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide.
Thank you so much Georg for the information, for digging deeper into the piece to give an accurate extimate and enrichening our understanding of this little piece of mexican and family history.
I don´t know if I´m allowed to ask further questions or comments after the estimate is delivered, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could help us understand this piece better and follow correct path forward.
Just as a side note, the painter does have several large pieces on canvas, exhibited at the Museo del Virreinato in Tepozotlán México. One was even in a temporary exhibit at the MET ( https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/698801 )/ (http://52.183.37.55/artworks/1927).
I did find three smaller oil on copper that went for auction recently on La Suite that were much better preserved than mine, though much smaller and with less detail. What brings down the value of my painting is it´s condition? Would it recover value if propperly restored? Or are there other variables that need to be taken into account?
Any information would be greatly appreciated and would help us to know how to move forward.
Found some more comparables with which your estimate make sense. As a curiosity, are paintings on copper more valuable than those on a canvas? Thanks for everything.
Dear Gerardo,
Thank you for your email. Usually, the paintings on copper are more detailed but smaller than the paintings on canvas. So the single values are defined by the quality of the painting, the size, and the motif. I hope this answered your question.
With kind regards,
George
Hi... what additional information do you need?