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...BACK TO FRONT.
Having already set the world record
for a Fortune at auction, they built
on their experience by studying the
painting’s scribbled notes, exhibition
labels and materials.
Then they used Bonhams’ global
reach to put the painting in front of
the right audience. Found in London,
The Senora’s Garden
returned home
to California to sell for $722,500. At
Bonhams, starting at the back of each
painting keeps our results out in front.
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1 Bonhams specialists noticed that this
canvas by E. Charlton Fortune is painted
beyond the tacking edge along the left
side, showing that the painting was
resized. The original frame and exhibition
labels suggest the artist herself made
the change.
2 A mix of original and replacement canvas
keys along with modern mounting hardware
reveal a recent restoration.
3 Examined under ultraviolet light, the
surface of the painting shows no retouching,
but a close inspection revealed tiny,
scattered spots. The Bonhams team
recognized these as splatters from house
paint, and had the painting cleaned to
remove the offending marks.
4 The color, patina, and aging of the frame
and canvas are consistent with a painting
dated circa 1918.
5 A minimal label led Bonhams researchers
to the 1921 “Autumn exhibition of modern
art: the forty-ninth,” in London. Dicksee
& Co. appear in a London Post Office
Directory as “Fine Art Agents, Packers and
Conveyancers”.
6 Bonhams specialists recognized this
handwriting as the artist’s, and the label
as a 1920’s San Francisco Art Association
Exhibition design.
7 This Stanford White style carved oak ripple
moulding perfectly matches the frames of
several other Fortunes sold at Bonhams,
indicating the artist’s preferred format.
8 Notes in chalk refer to the 1921 Liverpool
exhibition.
9 A rare example of the artist’s card.
Bonhams experts used Fortune’s handwriting
and many other factors to confirm the
painting’s authenticity. Originally priced
at $500, this work would have rewarded
a patient investor when it sold for over
$720,000.
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