I bought this Rembrandt self-portrait etching at a flea market a few years ago for about £30.
I took it home and looked closely at it, then decided that even though it was a genuine etching, it was not very old and probably not even pulled off the same plate as etched by the man himself. I believed it to be a photo-etching.
I mentioned it to a friend in the pub, and he asked to look at it so I showed him. He asked me what I wanted for it and I told him he could have it for the same price I payed. I added that I thought it was modern.
He was not so sure about my attribution and bought it hoping that he would eventually sell it on for thousands, which was my sole reason for buying it in the first place. £30, I thought, was worth the gamble. My friend - it has to be said - is not as knowledgeable as me in these matters.
The other day my friend plucked up the courage to remove it from its old wooden frame to have a closer look.
The print was attached to a small sheet of MDF. My friend's area of expertise is woodwork.
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWell, the buyer still likes it, so that's ok.
DeleteIt would look ok on the wall with others.
ReplyDeleteI have since found out that you can still buy them from the Rijksmuseum, unframed, for about £15.
ReplyDeleteOh, that was my reply was it. I wondered why that comment suddenly floated in from nowhere.
DeleteI’ve made a few purchases in the passed like your friend did. Well done getting your money back Tom.
ReplyDeleteIt really wasn't a case of pass the parcel. I told him it was modern, but he professed to like it in its own right.
DeleteI once bought a fake Chinese ceramic, glazed boar for £45 and sold it for £450. I kept telling the buyer that it was a fake, but he didn't believe me, so I do not feel bad about him parting with some obviously expendable cash.
Oh, and I have lost as much as I have gained over the years. It's a game which you either enjoy or not. If you don't enjoy it and cannot afford to play, then don't.
DeleteAnd I was proud of myself for learning all the new (to me) words.You all have a great day!
ReplyDeleteSo you should be, Joanne. Most of our successes would pale into insignificance compared to yours over the last few years. You have been given a gift in one way - how to prioritise things and differentiate between one success and another.
DeleteMuch better to break even than lose.
ReplyDeleteBut you cannot win without running the risk of losing. I think that Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem about it.
DeleteWhen I managed a small London gallery, we had quite a few Rembrandt etchings; very similar to yours. Several were priced at around £5, others much more. It all depends on the run of prints. The first run (First state) obviously commands the highest price, then as they plate is reworked, they become much cheaper. You can still own an original Rembrandt for a few quid.
ReplyDelete£3,500 - £250,000 as far as I can tell.
DeleteSame for Goya. The Chapman Bros bought a complete set of Goya etchings just so they could change them all. Not a huge amount of money, about £80,000 I think from memory.
DeleteAnd what are they worth now? More or less?
DeleteI mean what would they fetch, of course. They ruined them.
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