“In the manner of”. “School of”. “Follower of”.

These are all terms used to describe a work of art created inthe style of a master artist but not by the hand of the masterartist.

If a painting is described, for instance, as “In the Manner ofClaude Monet,” it has been documented that the painting was done inthe same style of the artist but after his lifetime. A “Follower ofClaude Monet” painting was done in the same style of the artistduring his lifetime and perhaps by a devoted student of theartist.

At times the paintings created in the same style/manner of amaster artist can be deceiving, especially in the case where themaster artist isn't always known for signing his or her paintings.Paintings can be traded in the market for years with theattribution of a master artist but then determined by an expert notto be by the hand of the artist. Because in many cases the owner ofthe painting believes the piece to be original, and likely paid theprice of an original, insuring these paintings can prove to bedifficult.

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Enservio Select's art appraisal team was recently tasked withappraising an 'Old Master' painting believed to be by PaulDelaroche (French, 1797-1856), which was the subject of aninsurance claim. In fine art, the term 'Old Master' traditionallyrefers to great European painters practicing during the periodroughly 1300-1830.

Delaroche was a successful academic artist from France duringthe early to mid-19th century who specialized in paintinghistorical scenes. He studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Parisbefore becoming one of the leading pupils of Baron Antoine-Jean Gros. Delaroche's paintings werecompleted with a smooth surface, giving the appearance of a highfinish. In particular, his historical images were highly successfuland reproduced many times with engraved reproductions. This madethe artist and his work a familiar figure in France. His work ishung in the Louvre, the National Gallery in London, the Musee desBeaux-Arts, as well as in many prominent collections. Old Masterexperts are aware of the whereabouts of most known Delarochepaintings.

The Paul Delaroche painting in question was a large example,approximately 40” x 30”, and depicting a Queen and her statesmen.The painting was not signed. If this were an original Delaroche,the painting would fetch about $40,000 at auction and have an evenhigher retail replacement value. If this were a period piececreated in the same style of the artist, the auction value wouldfall in the $4,000 to $6,000 range. This painting was unique inthat it was much larger than Delaroche's known works, which is whatfirst raised the question of authenticity. The frame on thepainting bears a plate which reads, “Queen and Statesmen PaulDelaroche.”

Related: State of the 'Art'

Detail of the hand in the Paul Delaroche painting inquestion. (Photo: Courtesy of Enservio)

The appraisal process

When examining a work of art to determine if its original, onelooks to the original known paintings by the artist which aredocumented and housed in museums and major collections to see ifthe artist's painterly style, attention to detail, signature,subject matter, etc. match the painting in question.

Delaroche painted using a chiaroscurotechnique to create light and shadow. As seen in his notablemasterpieces, the light and shadow scale is extremely noticeable asmain figures are bathed in light while the background transitionsinto darkness. Delaroche also painted in painstaking detail everyelement of his work, as did most Old Masters. One can look at thehands as an example of detail. In Delaroche's original work, thehands show the veins, the knuckle creases, the fingers areproportionate and differentiate in size.

Details of hands from original Paul Delaroche painting “Deathof Elizabeth Queen of England.” (Photo: WikimediaCommons) Click on the image toenlarge.

When comparing the attributes of an original Delaroche paintingto the “Queen and Statesmen” painting in question, Enservio expertssaw the canvas was lacking in artistic detail, as highlighted usingthe example of the hands. The hands in the subject painting werenot of correct proportions and lack the detail which Delaroche gavehis work. The figures also lacked detail which separates them fromthe background using perspective. The absence of chiaroscurotechnique was noticeable on the subject canvas.

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Also, the size discrepancies of the smaller original works andthe larger subject canvas were another factor in determiningauthenticity. The detail, painterly style and excellence, and colortonalities found in original Delaroche paintings were lacking inthe subject canvas; therefore, for purposes of valuation, Enserviovalued this painting as “in the style of” Delaroche, indicating itwas painted by a follower of his or a student replicating hisstyle, not by the hand of Delaroche. The fact that the subjectcanvas had a nameplate on the frame attributing the artist toDelaroche is common, as most dealers used this technique to sellworks and it is not known when the painting and the frame cametogether, as the frame is likely not a late 18th/early 19th-centuryoriginal.

As we saw in this instance, the use of nameplates can besuspect, since frames are rarely original to Old Masterworks. Additionally, the age of the painting doesn't appear tobe made during Delaroche's lifetime and furthermore, our researchinto the artist revealed that a painting titled “Queen andStatesmen” did not surface among Delaroche's oeuvre or legacy ofwork.

Auction houses commonly sell work that is created in the samestyle of the artist and describe the paintings accordingly. Forinstance, Christie's Paris offered a Portrait of Napoleon from theStudio of Paul Delaroche measuring 78 3/4” x 59 7/8” for anestimate of $5,309-$8,495 in 2014 and in 2011 Christie's sold aportrait of Napoleon in Fontainebleau after Paul Delarochemeasuring 34” x 27” for $6,010. Enservio looked to these marketexamples to recommend a claim settlement for the painting inquestion with a retail replacement value of $6,000.

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Erin Hollenbank, ASA, is an accredited appraiser offine and decorative art at Enservio, which provides contentsvaluation services and software for national insurancecarriers.