Tweet
Man sells 'worthless' painting by Aivazovsky for more than $1m
13:00 - 17.06.11
A painting considered worthless by its owner, a former lumberjack who
almost donated it to charity, sold for $1.1 million at a Swedish
auction.
The painting, which had been left to the man by his wife and was
hanging on his wall for almost a decade, turned out to be an 1858 work
by Hovhannes Aivazovsky entitled "The Battle of Bomarsund", reported
The Local yesterday.
The Local reported the unidentified elderly man, a onetime lumberjack
who earned his education through correspondence courses, was
downsizing to a new home and sent a small Stockholm auction house
several boxes of unwanted goods, along with a large canvas.
On a note he had written, "Will you accept these things? Sell what you
can and leave the rest to the Red Cross!"
The painting was put up for auction on the internet with a starting
price in the $1,200-$1500 range, but when activity around the painting
exceeded expectations, the head of the auction house decided to seek
expert advice.
Enter the Uppsala Auction House, known for selling a number of Russian
objects, which in turn contacted its own specialists.
When the painting was authenticated as a genuine work by Aivazovsky,
Knut Knutson of the auction house, went to see the owner in person to
deliver the news that the expected price would be a bit higher than
originally thought.
Knutson, who has traveled the country as part of the Swedish version
of "Antiques Roadshow," began by saying, "We are thinking of a
starting price of five or six... " he told The Local, and the owner
interrupted him saying "surely, you don't mean five or six hundred
thousand (kronor) do you?"
When Knutson replied, "No, actually I mean five or six million...", the
atmosphere in the room turned "electric," he said.
"It was one of those moments when you wish you had a camera and could
film what happened. He stood up, and then sat back down again saying
'You are jesting, you can't really mean that.'"
On Tuesday, the painting sold for 7.6 million kronor ($1.1 million) to
a Russian collector.
Tert.am
From: Baghdasarian
13:00 - 17.06.11
A painting considered worthless by its owner, a former lumberjack who
almost donated it to charity, sold for $1.1 million at a Swedish
auction.
The painting, which had been left to the man by his wife and was
hanging on his wall for almost a decade, turned out to be an 1858 work
by Hovhannes Aivazovsky entitled "The Battle of Bomarsund", reported
The Local yesterday.
The Local reported the unidentified elderly man, a onetime lumberjack
who earned his education through correspondence courses, was
downsizing to a new home and sent a small Stockholm auction house
several boxes of unwanted goods, along with a large canvas.
On a note he had written, "Will you accept these things? Sell what you
can and leave the rest to the Red Cross!"
The painting was put up for auction on the internet with a starting
price in the $1,200-$1500 range, but when activity around the painting
exceeded expectations, the head of the auction house decided to seek
expert advice.
Enter the Uppsala Auction House, known for selling a number of Russian
objects, which in turn contacted its own specialists.
When the painting was authenticated as a genuine work by Aivazovsky,
Knut Knutson of the auction house, went to see the owner in person to
deliver the news that the expected price would be a bit higher than
originally thought.
Knutson, who has traveled the country as part of the Swedish version
of "Antiques Roadshow," began by saying, "We are thinking of a
starting price of five or six... " he told The Local, and the owner
interrupted him saying "surely, you don't mean five or six hundred
thousand (kronor) do you?"
When Knutson replied, "No, actually I mean five or six million...", the
atmosphere in the room turned "electric," he said.
"It was one of those moments when you wish you had a camera and could
film what happened. He stood up, and then sat back down again saying
'You are jesting, you can't really mean that.'"
On Tuesday, the painting sold for 7.6 million kronor ($1.1 million) to
a Russian collector.
Tert.am
From: Baghdasarian