GUEST: I went to an estate sale in our neighborhood and I went to the preview and I saw this in the corner and I really liked it. So the next day, I was there early and went straight for it and managed to buy it. And I've only had it for about eight months now.
APPRAISER: And do you know who it's by?
GUEST: I haven't been able to find any information about the artist on the Internet, so I don't really know much about the painting.
APPRAISER: Well, what name were you putting into the search engines on the Internet?
GUEST: I wasn't sure whether the second letter was an "o" or a "c," so I tried both spellings and I didn't get any information.
APPRAISER: You didn't try an "e"?
GUEST: No, I didn't try an "e."
APPRAISER: That's what it is.
GUEST: Oh, it's an "e"!
APPRAISER: It's Cornelius Van Leemputten, who was a Belgian artist of the 19th century.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And I don't know if you noticed, it's quite grimy. And down here in the murk is a signature.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: "C. Van Leemputten." Now, he was pretty much a self-taught artist apart from a brief spell in Antwerp, where he studied at the art school and was very influenced by the French artist Charles Frère. In the 19th century, there were a lot of great animal painters. Leemputten was like, say, a second-tier artist who was influenced by them, and they were all influenced by the great 17th-century Dutch master Paulus Potter. Now, one might suppose that the reason these paintings were so popular in the 19th century was it was during the ferment of the Industrial Revolution, and I think these artists were hankering for a more simple, agrarian past. And so these were in great demand at that time and still are. Now, you might think this is a full frame, or did you...?
GUEST: No, I thought that part of the frame had been taken off, because it's unfinished along the edges.
APPRAISER: That's right. This is what we call a slip frame, and there are actually little pinholes right in the side, so this had a pretty ornate gilt set frame at some point. Now, when you bought it, how much did you pay for it at the time?
GUEST: $300.
APPRAISER: Well, I think you've done pretty well, really. I have to say that there is a bit of a commercial drawback. There is not great demand for goat's udders displayed quite as overtly as they are here.
GUEST: No...
APPRAISER: But in spite of that, I think there would be a lot of interest if it came up at auction. Is this something you're thinking of holding on to?
GUEST: I want to hold on to it and I want to have it restored.
APPRAISER: Well, first of all, if you were to put it back in auction just now, no question, it would make $1,500 to two-and-a-half thousand dollars quite easily. If you were to have it cleaned, it depends where you go, obviously. It shouldn't cost more than, you know, a couple of hundred dollars or so. If you had it cleaned up and then put in a proper frame, it could auction... I would think it would increase the value by maybe, you know, another 50%. Maybe it could be up to about $3,000 or so.
GUEST: Thank you.
APPRAISER: You done good.
GUEST: Thank you.
