A Pennsylvania woman may have hit the jackpot with a $12 purchase at an auction in Montgomery County. Heidi Markow, a certified appraiser and co-owner of Salvage Goods in Easton, acquired an unassuming drawing that could potentially be a lost masterpiece by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the renowned Impressionist painter. “There were paintings that were going for $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, and this was just sitting there,” Markow said.
Upon closer inspection at home, she noticed a faint signature that read “Pierre-Auguste Renoir.”
The potential value of the drawing is staggering, as Renoir’s works at auction are highly sought after. His oil painting “The Bather” sold for $20.9 million at a New York auction in 1997. While an official appraisal is pending, Markow speculated that the artwork could fetch six or even seven figures.
Inscriptions on the back of the drawing suggest it once belonged to a Philadelphia art collector who contributed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The drawing portrays a nude woman, Markow believes to be Renoir’s wife, Aline Charigot. He had a fascination with the female body,” Markow said.
“One of his quotes that stuck with me was that his work wasn’t done until he could pinch it.
Possible Renoir sighting in Pennsylvania
When you look at this, it makes sense because it’s so real and so beautifully detailed.”
Stickers on the artwork suggest that European art importer Samuel Fields and Co. imported it into the United States.
in the 1920s or 1930s. To authenticate the piece, Markow plans to take it to the Wildenstein Plattner Institute in New York next month for examination. The Wildenstein Plattner Institute creates comprehensive digital “catalog raisonné” projects, which are exhaustive records of an artist’s work.
Though inclusion in the catalog is a significant endorsement, it does not guarantee absolute authenticity. “I spent hundreds of hours. Every single way you can turn it, I am pretty confident that what I have is an authentic, in-his-hand drawing,” Markow stated.
“The framing and the paper are period-correct. His drawing style is spot on, and his signature – I verified each letter – is spot on.”
Despite her excitement, Markow remains cautiously optimistic. “Even if they don’t give it the nod, it doesn’t mean it’s not authentic.
It may just need more research.”
Whether or not the drawing is officially authenticated, this $12 purchase has certainly brought Heidi Markow and her business partners a whirlwind of excitement and potential.
