5 March 2011

A MISSING MASTERPIECE

When on a long weekend chez nous in July 2009 with my friend Jackie we visited the village of Le Louroux and in the old mill there was an art exhibition.

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I spotted a painting by the local artist Veronique Duprès and went back a couple of days later to buy it as a present for Nick. It’s at the bottom right of the photo. It is of a stretch of the Loire river.

He really liked the painting but not the frame, which he thought looked as though it was bought from an vide-grenier. It probably was, but I thought its shabbiness had a certain charm. Anyway, it hung in our room in Le Grand-Pressigny for a while then we brought it back home to the UK and last week took it to be re-framed.


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We are very pleased with the result. The picture shop made a lovely job of it and the frame really enhances the picture, we think.

When we went to collect the picture the man in the shop had a surprise for us.  Having dismantled the original picture, guess what !!

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Underneath there was another painting. We rather like it. So the man in the shop cleaned up the old frame for us and put the original picture back in. There is some damage to the bottom of it but we like the colours and the style. It is unsigned so I have no idea who painted it.


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We have decided to call the picture "blue lady" – she looks slightly wistful or even sad, I think. 

13 comments:

  1. What a lovely story Jean, it will certainly be a talking point.
    I rather like your 'lady' too.
    I'm sure all the artwork will look good on your walls in L G-P.

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  2. I think it is Whistler's Sister....
    And I think the black, "seen better days" frame suits her.
    It is a very good picture though.

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  3. Both pictures are lovely; but can see why you'd want a 'lighter' frame for the water colour. Think the original frame suits the lady. What a good surprise!
    I'm not sure I could have resisted the poster either....

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  4. You might call her "la dame de Pressigny." She may be worth millions!

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  5. Two for the price of one, how lucky can you get LOL. I think the picture of the lady suits the old frame, it is very nice. Take care Diane

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  6. Lucky old you! I love both paintings. Perhaps the hidden one is worth a few bob? You never know...

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  7. I would think the oil is of more value than the watercolour...only by virtue of the fact it is a watercolour. It certainly isn't a poor oil painting. I would be tempted to distress the frame (wire brush or sandpaper) and use some warm stains or wax on it.

    Lucky you!

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  8. I think she should be called FORTUNA.. but on the other hand perhaps Spanish Eyes. There was I think a piece of music I used to play on the accordion called that. I wonder why she is playing the tambourine and what is on her lap... surely not a harmonica? Perhaps she is bored by her embroidery and is wistful for her absent lover..........

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  9. Isabelle bcos it 'is a belle' picture of a beautiful woman. Both pictures are nice actually and I think that you were right to get the landscape re-framed.

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  10. Well, your "Dame de Pressigny" certainly looks to be in the style of Modigliani, don't you think?

    Both are lovely :)

    Judy

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  11. Loved the lady in the painting, and although the frame does look rather heavy for her, I think I would probably keep it framing her, just because it was there in the first place. What a find though!

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  12. Hi Jean

    Your pictures are always so lovely and clear, I just wondered what sort of camera you had, I looking to get a new one for my partner who is an estate agent here in France so she needs a little compact with a wide angle lens really. Any ideas for you or your followers!

    Steve

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  13. Steve - thanks. It's a little compact digital thingy and a very pretty pink !!

    It says on the front LUMIX and on the top: Panasonic DMC-FX33. I've had it a year or so now so no doubt it has been superseded several times since then. Nick has an older version which is just as good and bought this for me because I was jealous !!
    Hope this helps.

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