William Hart Landscape Oil, ca. 1860
GUEST: This is one of the Hudson Valley School paintings that was given to me by my parents, who inherited it from my grandmother and my great-aunt.
APPRAISER: And who is the artist?
GUEST: William Hart.
APPRAISER: He is considered one of the Hudson River School artists. The father of the Hudson River School was Thomas Cole. William Hart is considered sort of a second-string painter in that group, but certainly very accomplished. And he exhibited all during his lifetime. And his paintings are in museums around the country. He was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1823. He immigrated to the U.S. around 1830, and eventually to Albany and Troy, New York, area in 1831. What we find here is a landscape that is of Keene, New Hampshire.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This was a favorite area of his. Most of the works we see by him are of cows in landscapes, and the cows are rather large and dominate the composition.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: Those are his later works, done sort, in the late 1870s to '80s. He, he died in 1894. This is really refreshing, because it's an early example. It was done around 1859 to 1861.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: You can see it's, it's rather fresh. He has an interesting approach. He has figures on the right side, the cows are more minimal in the background. And then, of course, the beautiful landscape and the more or less luminous sky make it a, a rather creative composition for him. It's signed in the lower right "W.M. Hart." And that's a typical signature for him. The medium is oil on canvas, and the frame is wonderful. It's, uh, original frame. Condition-wise, I think it might need a cleaning. There is a catalogue raisonné of William Hart's work.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This work is listed there. It does mention that it went through American art galleries in 1925. You said you got it from your great...?
GUEST: My great-aunt.
APPRAISER: Your great-aunt. So would she have been in New York around 1925?
GUEST: She was visiting her brother, who lived in Connecticut, but was a stockbroker in New York. So, yes, I'm sure she... So she has... ...traveled into New York.
APPRAISER: Perhaps that's where she acquired it. Unfortunately, the Hudson River School in general is not as much in vogue today...
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: ...as it was, let's say, 20 years ago. If it were in a gallery, I think it would probably sell in the neighborhood of $15,000.
GUEST: Oh, my goodness! (chuckling): That, that surprises me, thank you.
APPRAISER: Well, you're welcome. And for insurance, I would suggest $18,000 for insurance.
GUEST (stammers): Thank you very, very much, Debra.
APPRAISER: Well, you're welcome.
GUEST: I truly appreciate. It gives me pleasure every time I look at it.
APPRAISER: Aw, well, that's great.
GUEST: So I'm very pleased to hear all of this.
APPRAISER: Oh, good.
$15,000 Retail
$18,000 Insurance
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Understanding Our Appraisals
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