I picked this up on ebay and picked it up in person from the seller who said she obtained it from an antique dealer. I didn't know the artist, but loved the subject, the sailor / captain...
It has a couple of small tears, and a lot of damage to the frame.
I was wondering if it was worth the huge cost of restoration, or if I should just enjoy it as-is.
Does anyone have any history on this?
The visible image in the frame is 16.75" x 28".
I found only one reference to it online, on a polish auction site that sold it in October of 2013. [ https://sztuka.agraart.pl/licytacja/84/4542 ] That site listed their piece as being only 21.8cm x 28 cm. The image on that sight appears to be a smaller copy than mine, and the signature is different place than on my canvas. Was it common for artists to make smaller copies themselves to sell? Would this artist be worthy of forging? I'm wondering if my painting is the copy.
I would greatly appreciate any insight into this piece.
This is what it said about the artist:
Vincenzo Busciolano - Italian painter, came from a well-known family of
active artists in Naples; he was the nephew of the sculptor Antonio,
and the son of Michel Busciolano. He studied painting at the
Naples School of Painting at the Institute of Fine Arts. He has presented his
paintings - genre scenes, portraits and images of characteristic figures of
Neapolitan fishermen, women and children at local exhibitions. The artist's
paintings are in the collections of Naples museums, including at the
Capodimonte Museum.
