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The O akville Beaver, Friday F e b ru a ry 17, 2 0 0 6 - 25 Local collector paid steep price for first purchase n today's article we look at a paint ing that cost a young girl a small fortune, a vase that was thought to be linked to one of the world's greatest artists, and a reproduction of a Victorian genre image that gave a breed its name. A local art collector recalls her first purchase from the late sixties. "I went to a Toronto auction preview and I fell in love with an oil painting by Gustav Jean Jacquet titled, The Muse o f Poetry. I was only 13, young to regis ter, and so I asked an older friend to bid me. I guess I was so excited that I didn't listen carefully to the auctioneer. I won the picture but when I went to pay I was horrified to discover that I had bid $7,000. The auctioneer gave me the option to leave the painting, but I desperately wanted to keep it. After much pleading and negotiating he allowed me to pay what I could and work the rest off. It took about two years of hard work before it was completely paid. I have since bought and sold thousands of works of art but I will never sell this treasured piece." The top price Jacquet has realized is $75,000, but the average auction sale price for his work is around the $7,000 mark. This Muse o f Poetry would likely sell at auction today in the $10,000$15,000 range. This future art collector did well to buy such a fine piece at so young an age. A painting I purchased from a local estate caused some negative reactions. It was a Victorian genre painting .that seemed to show a large dog guarding a drowned child. Over the years the painting had been almost obscured by the smoke from coal fires. When it was restored the colours became far more vivid. It was then that we realized that it was an incredibly faithful reprise of Sir Edwin Henry Landseer's Saved depicting a Newfoundland dog after it had saved a young girl from a stormy sea. This image has become a favourite with dog owners everywhere and gave a breed a new name, The Landseer Newfoundland. Landseer (1802-1873) is recalled as Queen Victoria's favourite painter and the man who created the giant lions in Trafalgar Square in London. This nineteenth century reproduction is so well executed that it would sell in the $2,500 at auction. Here's a bit of a mystery my readers seem to love. Linda Gaffar of the Leeming family has an heirloom called The Rembrandt. Apparently this item has been in the Leeming family for 200 years. It was purchased by the present owner's great, great, great, great grandfather when he traveled to Holland on vaca tion. In 1950 it was passed on to the owner's mom and dad as a wedding I m e iv iu j c i/i r i/c u jr gift. In 1952 it was transformed into a light fixture. During the years it has been a flower vase, an umbrella stand, and a holder for walking sticks. Gaffar was hopeful that it would be significantly valuable and perhaps even connected to the master himself. There's no doubt that the image looks like images of Rembrandt. If the vase was purchased in Holland^ two hundred years ago that would place its time of acquisition in the early 19th century. Rembrandt lived from 1606 to 1669, roughly two hundred years before the vase was bought by the cur rent owner's ancestor. Rembrandt, of course, would have already been very famous at that time and a vase with his image would immediately have attract ed attention from tourists and other potential buyers. This vase, however, is printed (not hand painted) and signifi cantly altered from its original form. I would estimate that the value would be roughly $200. This would qualify as a family leg end that has been exaggerated over the years. Our thanks to all the readers who are sharing their stories with us. It's a wonderful experience. Bring your items to Turner Chapel Antiques, 37 Lakeshore Rd. W. in Oakville or e-mail pictures and text to turnerchapelantiques@bellnet.com. We've included past episodes of this series in our website at www.turnerchapelantiques@yahoo.com Worried about rising fuel costs? Why an electraflame Fireplace? · · · · · Instant ambiance at the flick of a switch Sets up in minutes just plug it in s Operates for pennies per day Completely safe glass stays cool Four-season enjoyment with or without heat Hurry nil Limited time . offer! a with a $200 instant energy r e b a t e there's never been a better time to choose an electric fireplace! lo in Us Let us cover your fireplace operating costs for up to 6 years. 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