A woman bought this painting in a secondhand store for $6. It's expected to fetch $385,000

by Dannielle Maguire 

Posting a photo of the artwork on a Facebook group led to the owner's shocking discovery of its estimated worth. (Supplied: Bonhams Skinner)

A painting bought for $US4 ($6.15) in an op shop in 2017 is expected to sell for as much as $US250,000 ($385,222) when it goes up for auction this month.  

It currently belongs to a woman who asked auction house Bonhams Skinner to keep her name anonymous. 

The woman bought the painting from Savers — which is a chain of second-hand stores —  in the US state of New Hampshire. 

"She was antiquing in search of old frames to repurpose," Bonhams Skinner’s American and European works of art specialist Kathleen Leeland said.

She found the painting while flicking through a stack of old frames leaning against a wall.

It was in a modest white frame and, in the top left corner, the dark letters "N C Wyeth" were disguised in a shadowy section of the painting. 

The woman lifted the dusty painting which, at about 70 centimetres high and 50 centimetres wide, was "quite heavy" into her shopping trolley. 

She paid just $US4 for it.

"Not knowing what she had found, she joked about it being a real painting but after not finding anything in a quick internet search, didn't give it another thought," Ms Leeland said. 

"The painting hung in her bedroom for a few years and was then stored away again in a closet.

"In May of this year while cleaning, she came across the painting again and posted some images of it on a Facebook page called Things Found in Walls."

After a bit of discussion in the comments, she was directed to the Brandywine Museum and Lauren Lewis — art conservator who previously worked at the Wyeth Study Centre at the Farnsworth Art Museum.

"Lewis drove three hours to meet them," Ms Leeland said.

"Her excitement to view the painting in person was the first time the consignor realised it was actually legitimate and valuable."

Ms Lewis told the Boston Globe she was "99 per cent certain it was authentic", but also chatted with a scholar on Wyeth's work who agreed it was "likely the original".

Not only did the painting have a signature on the front, but it was also written on the back of framed picture — along with what appears to be several price code stickers.

In the top right corner at the back of the painting, there's also a label with the words "Ramona" and "Artist: N C W...".

The rest of the name is cut off by a what looks like a rip in the label, but Ms Lewis knew what she was looking at. 

"My assessment of the condition was that, while it certainly had some small scratches and it could use a surface clean, it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years," she told the newspaper.

It turns out the painting was one in a series of four Wyeth had created for a 1939 edition of Helen Hunt Jackson's book Ramona — which was originally published in 1884.

"Wyeth contributed four illustrations, only one other of which has been located," the auction listing says. 

The woman found the painting in a stack of old frames at a second-hand shop. (Supplied: Bonhams Skinner)

Huge potential for profit

The auction house listed it at a price of between $US150,000 and $US250,000.

"Our specialists consider a number of factors including condition, what comparable works have achieved at auction by the artists and similar artists, the market, etc," a Bonhams’ spokesperson said.

"They then give a high and low estimate of what they think it will sell for – this work is estimated at $150,000 to $250,000, but it could achieve more.

"The owner's storage method did nothing to damage the painting but it is unknown how it was stored previous to her purchasing it."

The woman was originally just looking for frames to repurpose, but decided to keep it all in one piece. 

"The frame doesn't have much impact on the value of a work however in this case, it was helpful in identifying the work as one from N C Wyeth," the spokesperson said. 

Who is N C Wyeth?

Newell Convers Wyeth was a prolific American illustrator. 

It's estimated he painted about 4,000 illustrations for books and magazines in his career. 

"His work was renowned for its ability to increase the drama and character development of the accompanying text, something he achieved with vibrant, action-packed scenes, vivid colours, and a skilful use of light and shadow," the auction listing says. 

He's perhaps best known for his illustrations for reprints of Robinson Crusoe,  Robin Hood and Treasure Island. 

"The 17 paintings that make up the [Treasure Island] set are masterpieces of American illustration," the Brandywine Museum of Art website says.

"Their size and scale, unusual in illustrations of the period, give the paintings a heroic quality that is apparent even in the greatly reduced reproductions."

N. C. Wyeth (1882 - 1945) "I said goodbye to Mother and the cove".
One of Wyeth's illustrations for "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Commentary by Mary Cronin. Click here! and scroll down.

The somewhat underwhelming frame for the re-discovered painting speaks to his long career as an illustrator. 

"The frame on this painting seems to be of the artist's choice, the basic moulding he used to protect the edges and corners of his illustrative paintings when sent by train from his Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, studio to publishers in Philadelphia or New York.

"This work likely was gifted by Little, Brown and Company publishers to an editor or to the estate of the author."

Wyeth's children Andrew Wyeth, Carolyn Wyeth and Henriette Wyeth Hurd,and grandson Jamie Wyeth also made names for themselves as artists.  

One of Andrew Wyeth's most famous paintings is Christina's World, which currently hangs in The Museum of Modern Art in New York, US.

Andrew Wyeth (son of N. C. Wyeth) Entering "Christina's world".
Documentary on YouTube. Click here to watch!

First published at ABC News, September 6, 2023