Freemanart are an international, professional art authentication investigation agency, seeing around a quarter of all our international inquiries coming in from concerned individuals in relation to questionable works of art that they have either bought, seen, are bidding for, or are considering bidding on, on EBAY, or to be fair, on other Internet based auction sites and platforms.

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ADVICE

Be very, very cautious about the accuracy and claims made in some descriptions of art, including paintings and signed limited edition

prints being offered on Ebay

Read them closely, fully understand not only what they say, but what they don't say.

Artists such as:

  PICASSO  -  REMBRANDT - BASQUIAT  -  RENOIR  -  CHAGALL  -   MONDRIAN   -   MATISSE  -   GAUGUIN   -  MIRO  -  VAN GOGH  -   COROT - KLEE  - CONSTABLE 

  BRAQUE  -  MODIGLIANI   -  BRANCUSI  -  TURNER 

and all American  and European Old and Modern masters.

 These are both important and also highly regarded artists, sometimes quite innocently misattributed in descriptors. But don't forget, many could be being deliberately and falsely misrepresented to you.  So be cautious.

 The identities of such prominent artists as these, are synonymous with those of the world's greatest film or sports stars and are about as famous. As some of the top artists from the worlds history, their works of art are priceless.

 Realistically, real drawings by Picasso are not worth $800 to $1,500, or even the same in UK pounds. Add some additional zeros at least!

*****

Common sense advice:

 1/ Be diligent -  Be careful and use both your head and your eyes, not just your heart when making a decision.

 Take professional advise if you're not sure about something and do so before you commit to buy. Or don't bicker afterwards if there is a problem that you could have avoided.

FAIL TO PREPARE, THEN PREPARE TO FAIL !

 Once you commit to purchase something that is physically sight unseen, your decision, based solely on a provided photo and description, you accept the work exactly as it has been described and unless you can prove differently, if there is a problem later and that can be costly to prove, you have no come back at all.

2/ Next: Not only read the Terms and Conditions of the internet auction site itself, but also read the Terms and Conditions of the SELLER.

 There are usually legal get out clauses somewhere for them if anything at all is wrong with the item they are selling.

Including the Descriptor itself

The Condition

AND ITS AUTHENTICITY !

A get out which makes 'any' mistake, that either they, or you make, your fault. It makes those mistakes entirely your own for not picking up on it.

 We have come across several professional sellers, consigning works of art to major auction website platforms, not land based auctioneers, but traders who are describing their works of art as actually 'BY' a particular artist, with all the bells and whistles that goes with it.

 But they also tell us that ANY attribution OR description is in, 'their opinion' alone' and is often based on the fact that there is a signature on the work, suggesting to them who its by. Or that it has a Certificate of Authenticity that confirms the legitimacy .

What they neglect to tell us is that they have NO specific expertise to give such opinion, certainly not one that is universally accepted and recognized, or that they have effected the necessary research to fully qualify that opinion and what that information and evidence actually is.

FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL !

Contact ART AUTHENTICATION INVESTIGATION EXPERTS SERVING THE UK

The Sellers Get Out:

 In their own terms and conditions of sale, you will inevitably see legal get out clauses. These indemnify the seller from 'any' errors they ma, whatever they are, deliberate or not. And do remember, those errors can be either fraudulently, or innocently made.

These terms will inevitably go on to say that; 'any' errors of descriptor, whatever they may be, be it an inaccuracy relating to authenticity, or the legitimacy of the work, or the actual truth behind its provenance, (the history and lineage of where it came from,) or even the condition of the work itself, literally ANY errors at all, are not their responsibilities. They are entirely yours.

Not the responsibility of either the consignor or the seller.

It is down to you to entirely satisfy yourself of the description as you read it.

When you do accept it as true and you are sure it is accurate, then that is your decision. But take professional advise if you are unsure.

It's always - Buyer Beware.

BOGUS  COA's  - CERTIFICATES OF AUTHENTICITY

 Now do watch out for those COA's, because many are forged, or at best fabricated. As often are provenance documents supporting its history.

So be wary, because most COA's are issued by people (appraisers) who have no internationally accepted expertise that they are recognized for on that particular artist.

They are not the legally appointed copyright holders of the artist they are authenticating, or the administrators of that artists right, so in reality, it's only an unqualified opinion you are getting.

Take one of these COA's with your $200 dollar Renoir to Sotheby's and see what they say about both the picture and the COA.!

You must ask yourself some fundamental questions:

 Why are these most noble of works of art, not put up for sale 'in the most noble' of all auction rooms in the world?

Those auctioneers such as Sotheby's and Christies and Bonhams in the USA and the UK, Lempertz in Germany, the Dorotheum in Austria or Tajan in Paris and so on?

If they were exhibited and offered for sale there, where they will have been properly researched and guaranteed as authentic by the ultimate authorities in the world, they would be being presented on a world wide stage where they would attract the wealthiest collectors too. Collectors who are eager to add to their collections of priceless art and also pay for that privilege.

 It could be because they have either been denounced already by them and considered as not being worthy of presentation through them as they are not legitimate, or that the owner knows full well they are wrong in the first place and wouldn't dare take them there?

Not Perrugrino or an Old Master of any sort. It looks like it has a mask on !

Far removed from Renoir

Surely Señor Picasso would  go looking for the man who did this !

^ The images do not represent current works listed on Ebay, but may at some time or another have been displayed there.

  Many of the works of art listed on Ebay at any given time, are misplaced within the specific EBAY categories too, either deliberately or innocently.

 They are often listed as 'original works of art,' indicating that it's a painting or drawing, when actually they are more likely just commercial prints and not 'original' works of art by that artist at all.

 Indeed, many so called 'originals' are commercial copies 'of originals', coming these days from China and the far east. Paintings which are quite honestly described.

But most, if not all of the balance, are down and out fakes and usually pretty poor quality ones too. Pictures being disposed of by crooked individuals balancing the appealing words in their descriptors, with the certain knowledge that there are many dreamers out there who have the an inability to see the truth staring them in the face.

 Very cleverly, many of these wheelers dealers, listing these types of pictures for sale on Ebay, neatly sidestep the law by stating somewhere within their descriptor that the work is sold as 'attributed to' whichever artist it may be.

Or that it "comes without guarantee or provenance"

Save however for the seller giving us the run around, telling us that it came from an estate sale in Switzerland, Swaziland, Monaco or Paris.

From a 'private collection' is a sweet phrase many use when they haven't a clue where it came from. Or, that it followed the death of a very well known socialite, or collector who knew the Crown Prince of Siam !

You may smile, but this is usually this is usually the type of concocted, deliberate lie, designed to deceive and therefore, defraud, we come across.

 They also like to add selective catch phrases to their descriptor like; "This would be a great talking point at a dinner party" or; "This is being regrettably sold because of the poor performance of the stock market and an increase in our mortgage payments!"

 It's'  listed  'Without Reserve' adds to the excitement and with a starting bid of just $19.99. Which could actually be more than its actual worth!

This picture below is highlighted in its EBAY banner headline as:

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An Original Pablo Picasso Oil On Canvas Painting with COA

That is extremely specific and implies only one thing? It is absolutely authentic.

It is also listed as being an example of CUBISM:  !

This is not Cubism my friends at Ebay, but was still not picked up by any EBAY policing activity.

The seller then swiftly does an about face in the descriptor and tells us:

Expert opinion – N/A There is none:

Very honest of you but you said there was a COA, a Certificate of Authenticity.    Is that not an expert opinion?

Our opinion – An impressive painting certainly encompassing the style, imagery and in keeping with Pablo Picasso at first glance. The canvas, although in good condition looks suitably old and in keeping with other paintings to come from the late 1930’s.

Without a substantial provenance and no records going back for many years, we can only advise this painting is to be offered in the manner of Picasso. Very honest too:

 But where is that COA mentioned in the Headline descriptor? It after all is a Certificate of Authenticity, implying that this is an authentic Picasso work?

They could have said all that in the first place though, rather than lie in the headline?

MIRO – ORIGINAL DRAWING GOUAsHE– SIGNED, matisse,chagall

 Now make your own minds up as this is exactly how the listing was written and presented, all errors included too.

"Is this an original GOUACHE (correct spelling by the way) signed "matisse, chagall",

[Or is it as the lead line indicates by someone called - MIRO? Unless 'matisse chagall' is the name if the con-artist who painted this work.]

We are then told about it.

"Acquired in Paris  in the 1980's , the drawing does not come with paperwork and is sold as attributed to MIROunframed and as is.

Not paperwork with this drawing. "

I thought it was a painting? Never mind.

"So, following Ebay’s policy, we must say it is a drawing offered “as is” a drawing like, after or in manner of this artist. But not necessarily by him."

Matisse Signed Guaranteed Original Artwork with COA

 Is accurate as a descriptor but you will probably read it entirely differently.

In fact it is 'Mattisse' signed because it bears the name of Matisse.

It does not say that Matisse signed it though.

It is "Guaranteed as original artwork" too. But it's not guaranteed to be an original one created by Matisse himself, as it quite rightly says in the descriptor which follows:

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO OWN AN ORIGINAL  ONE-OF-A-KIND ARTWORK  for the price of a print or lithograph in the manner of  HENRI MATISSE   BEARING HIS INSCRIBED SIGNATURE

Title: Fruit Bowl and Plant
Medium: Paint on Canvas
Style Date: Circa 1914
Artwork Size: 12.5 x 16"

So, that actually means - someone else did it.

A  LITTLE  COAXING ( Calinerie ) 1890 BOUGUEREAU CANVAS

LISTED and DELIBERATELY placed in Ebay's "PAINTINGS" section

It's a canvas what though?

They go on to tell us it's a:

"Beautiful reproduction of Adolphe-William Bouguereau painting Calinerie (A Little Coaxing) beautifully

transferred directly onto professional Artists Canvas offering depth and texture absent in poster prints.
Enchanting !"

It is absolutely enchanting, but only as a repro print and actually a commercial one!

 If you are concerned about the legitimacy of a work of art see here.

La evaluación previa a la autenticación

ART AUTHENTICATION EXPERTISE LINKS - LISTED BY ARTIST NATIONALITY

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British Artist Authentication

WILLS James Rev

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