Probably a stupid question for art collectors

[Ian David]

I've inherited a bas relief copper picture in a box frame, and I hear stuff rattling around inside it.

Is it common for these frames to have stuff inside them?

It's made by Mitch Morse Gallery (phone number disconnected).

Should I be concerned that there might be dead insects or a thirty year old stash of illicit substance inside? The frame and backing all seem intact.

bas relief
n : a sculptural relief in which forms extend only slightly from the background; no figures are undercut
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bas%20relief

[dweller]

1. insects? illicit substances??

precious jewels???


:shrug: who knows?

dp

[Ian David]

2. OK, I just found the artist. He says go to a framer and get it re-mounted

Still, I'm curious.

Will I find newspaper, currency, or very stale green leaves?

He did seem amazed that I had something he'd made so long ago (he retired 5 years ago).

If he's surprised someone still owns it, I don't think it'll be worth much.

[dweller]

9. All the artist told you

in my eyes makes it all the more valuable.
I've never known an artist who could place a $$ value on a work they've created. The ones i've known never cared for a monetary figure to define them nor their art. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, value in the eye of the possesor. And it always seems to increase posthumously.

...notice i said artist, not craftsperson. Or gallery owner/dealer.

I took a look at your pic below, if it was handcrafted as opposed to machine stamped, it's a unique piece i'd bet.
Can't tell much about size which might affect the amount in a restoration or a new frame, etc. You might find more info by googling the artist and finding other's opinions.

one man's trash, another man's treasure.
good luck with it. You might want to post over in Groups section, DIY, or Artists group and post the best pic you have of it to see if someone can advise you more.

dp

[Ian David]

10. My mistake. I spoke to the framer / gallery, not artist.

The piece is signed by someone whose name looks like Abe Goefman or Goffman or Goefmimi or something like that.

Googling turns up zilch.

Also, it looks like there is powdered rust under the glass of the frame, which accounts for some of the sound I was hearing.

[GumboYaYa]

3. Not unusual at all.

My wife is a fine arts appraiser. She finds all manner of different things in the frames of paintings and prints.

We always pull the backs off of frames when we buy new pieces. More than once we have found other prints behind the one in the frame. You also find labels, old price tags, artists notes and signatures, and other things that give you more info about the piece.

[Ian David]

4. I'm hoping for gold dust or diamonds

I just hope it's not a bunch of dead baby mice.

[GumboYaYa]

5. So am I...

just for your sake. :)

[swimmernsecretsea]

6. It's a good recommendation to get the picture re-framed anyway.

Even though it's artwork made of metal, making sure that your work of art is framed in an archival manner is a protection of your investment. Previous eras didn't ensure this, and you'll often find work that has been damaged by either the elements, insect or pest damage, foxing by mold, or degradation due to non-archival materials used in the creation, such as acidic wood-pulp paper mats or paper.

It's quite possible that the rattling you hear is from material that was used in the framing that has simply aged and fallen away from the support structure. For example, the adhesive on a cardboard mat could have dissolved over time, and if there was tape used to assemble it, perhaps it has broken away from the frame. I have frequently found this to be the case when handling antique framed pictures.

[Ian David]

7. I showed it to my daughter and said, "Isn't it pretty?"

She laughed at me.

She's three years old and already a critic.

It really is kinda creepy.

It's supposed to be a picture of a rabbi or cantor.

And when I called the artist, he seemed surprised it hadn't been thrown away.

I'm thinking it's not worth a whole lot. But because my grandparents have owned it for so long, it is unlikely I will get rid of it.

But I don't know if I could see myself spending $50 to re-mount it.

Here it is:



I'm thinking:

1) Wicked Witch meets Darth Vader.
2) Strange Apparition on an Underpass.

[applegrove]

8. Sometimes you find the coolest stuff inside. If you think it may be

valuable and that is important to you, take it to a specialist who can tell you right away if tearing it apart will lower its value.

I know nothing about the type of art you discuss. But I found a few cool things in the frame of something old from my family.