Monday, March 30, 2009

1850 American Folk Art Painting of a Tiger




Nice circa 1850 folk art painting of a tiger, currently on sale on eBay.

Update: Sold for $2,250.00

8 comments:

Patricia said...

This tiger's face is straight out of an Edward Hick's painting!

Unknown said...

I know, right? At first I thought it might be a fake, but the details look good. Either way, it's a nice little painting.

Scott said...

This is a great blog- thanks!
I bought this painting but I haven't recieved it yet. I'm pretty sure it's real. I know a folk dealer who saw the painting at a recent auction preview. He meant to bid on it but missed the auction. He guessed I'd paid $2500 for it so I feel like I got a deal! I appreciate this because I rarely spend so much on folk art. For the past year I've resisted buying unless I'm totaly smitten- in this way I can save and afford more expensive stuff. That's my theory anyway...:)
Seriously it does help, also buying smaller scale work- sometimes you can afford better quality in smaller sizes.
Personaly I think the piece looks like Morris Hirshfield and E. Hicks lightly blended with an antique African mask. Yes, I'm smitten.

Joey said...

Hey Scott,

You're one lucky guy! In my opinion (of course without seeing it in person), you're the owner of a nice little masterpiece! Believe it or not, only once have I paid more than $1,000 for any one piece of folk art and I've never regretted it. The way I look at it, it gives me so much pleasure and for about the price of a cup of coffee a day, it's paid for in 3 yrs!

It's an awesome painting!

Unknown said...

Thanks Joey!

I really appreciate your positive comments about my new painting. I can tell from looking at your blog that you have a good eye. It gives your comments weight.

When I think about it, I've never regretted how much I've spent on a piece. I only get buyers remorse when I've bought something I'm not really into. I'm not a dealer, so a bargain isn't a bargain if I don't love what I'm buying.

I really get a lot of enjoyment out of looking and collecting- it sounds like you do too. People think you have to be rich to amass a decent collection- it's just not true. Most people can find something interesting to collect that they can afford. Don't you agree?

Did you have a chance to see the Asa Ames show at the NYC Folk Art Museum? That was an AMAZING show! Small but sweet. The exhibit has moved to Williamsburg Va. and it's increased by one additional wonderful sculpture. You might want to check out the new image online.

My ultimate collecting fantasy would be to find an unknown Asa Ames sculpture in a flea market, or in some junk shop somewhere.

Sigh...

Unknown said...

Hey Scott,

I missed the Asa Ames show at the Folk Art Museum, but I did do a post about it while it was still up. It looked incredible! I was in NYC in November and got to see the Martin Ramirez show, which was great as well.

I absolutely agree with you that you can build a pretty decent collection without a lot of money. You just have to work hard searching every day. The fortunate thing is that the category (and people's interests) have expanded in such a way that there's almost no barrier to entry. I think if we were limited to weathervanes and traditional folk paintings that wouldn't be the case.

My collecting fantasy is pretty much the same as yours...Asa Ames, anonymous, pretty much anything undiscovered and great!

Anonymous said...

Greetings!
New to your board. Just had to comment on how taken I am with my newly discovered talent of Asa Ames! Caught the show in Williamsburg this past week, and had to return twice to gawk some more!! Incredible.
I thought there were very few of us lovers of "kooky" art, but I'm glad I'm not alone. I can't get enough of the unusual, or quirky. I am always searching, and admiring, the exceptional efforts of the "everyday" artist.

Joey said...

Thanks! Yes, you're definitely not alone, although there aren't a ton of us. You're very lucky to have seen the Asa Ames show. I live in L.A. and don't get to see too many folk art shows unfortunately :(