Egyptian Papryus Art

[Ellenshar]

Just bought this at a small local auction yesterday for $30 (the kind of small auction where they start the bidding at $0.25!  Collectors do attend to "grab the deals" from those of us that don't know what we are doing or the value of things.  The two paintings are on papryus paper inside a glass frame.  They are about 13" x 13" each.  The photo doesn't show well, but the paintings are in shiny gold.  I just wanted the pictures to sit behind my collection of Egyptian bottles (which are not rare but I like them) - I didn't want the frame and was going to remove them from the frame when I got home.  I figured the owner bought the paintings from the King Tut exhibit that was touring all over the country years ago and no one would bid on them.  However, there was a bidding frenzy (by small amounts each time), but I wanted them so bad I kept bidding until I won.  I shook my head because I couldn't understand why everyone wanted these "cheap" paintings.  When I took the picture home, the back of the frame shows it was framed by an art gallery.  I found papryus paintings on Ebay for $2, but none of these two particular paintings.  Any ideas on why someone would professionally frame these paintings?

[mariok54]

http://egyptianhandcrafts.8m.com/photo_7.html

Hi

Your painting of the boat seen can be found half way down the page on the link.

The asking price is quite low, but no idea where yours is from. The colours on the new ones are very vibrant, so yours seems to have faded over the years.

Will keep on looking

[Ellenshar]

Thanks for helping Mariok54.  I am attaching the one you found but it isn't exaclty like mine.  The ends of the boat are different, the people aren't the same, and don't have the same items on their heads.  Mine does not look like it ever had color - it is solid gold throughout and doesn't look like it has faded at all.

[mariok54]

Hi,

I was a little confused to start with, then I realised that yours and the other one are , I think, 'mirror images. They are never going to be identical as I think (could be wrong) that they used to be hand painted, though they may not be now. I am pretty sure that they are both from the same tomb/temple painting.

Yours obviously has some age to it, so could have been an early tourist piece. That alone may give it some value.

Haven't found the other one yet, though 

[waywardangler]

Mario, you are correct on the images being mirror.  Great observation!  Posted below, one above the other and then the gold one flipped to be the same as the top image...

[mariok54]

Thanks for that Wayward ... I tried to paste them together, but for some reason failed miserably!  

[waywardangler]

It's the idea that really counts, mario and you excelled on that observation!

[mariok54]

Thanks Wayward ....

My theory ... Originally the artists would probably have been working from photographs of the paintings. I think what happened was that someone, when printing the image, just put the negative in the enlarger up-side down, which would give a mirror image. Then the artists just painted it as they saw it from the resulting photo. That used to be a common error with the old film developing, not a problem nowadays with digital photography  

I could be completely wrong!!

[talesofthesevenseas]

I'm afraid that these are not old, they are produced in large quantitities for tourists in Egypt at a very low price. Typically they are copies of tomb carvings/paintings done by local artists and are still produced today in high volume. There's hardly a tourist that comes home from Egypt without a few of these... 'cept KC's folks! 

You can take tours of papyrus shops and they show you how the papyrus is harvested, flattened and made into traditional paper. You can buy these all over the internet for a few dollars. Here is an example on Amazon.com for $4.00 I've got a few myself and the subject or artist really won't affect the value. The only thing that makes these more valuable is size, bigger ones cost more.
http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Egyptian-Papyrus-Painting-Fighting/dp/B002Y1NS2K

Sorry to disappoint you on this one! There are even some knock-off imitations that do not use authentic papyrus but use banana peel. These are darker in color and sometimes you can see the fibers taper at the tops like a banana.

[Ellenshar]

Thanks for all your input - didn't think they were worth anything, but just can't understand why someone would get them professionally framed.  The frame obviously cost a whole lot more than the paintings!

Great eye on the mirror image - never even thought of that.

[mariok54]

Framed as they are they must be worth what you paid for them. Do you have to take them out of the frame?

[Ellenshar]

Mariok54, I have decided not to take them out of the frame.  When I bought it I thought it was just a regular glass frame (i.e. Walmart) and found out when I turned it over that it was framed at an art gallery.  At this weekly auction things usually go for a couple of bucks, so when there is a bidding war you assume it must be something more valuable.   I just wanted it because it would go well with my collection of Egyption bottles.  As for the paintings, they are a shiny, brilliant gold - not faded at all - they just don't show well in my photos.  Doesn't look like there was ever any color in them other than gold.

[mariok54]

Hi,
I think that is a good decision  

They are very pretty.

[Ellenshar]

So went to work today and showed the boss a picture of my paintings - it was stlll on the auction website this morning - I downloaded the picture below for you to see.  Her eye went to the next painting on the website (which I thought was absolutely ugly at the time and do not recall anyone even bidding on it).  It was part of the "collection" of auctions from the same person, which included my painting.  She said "that looks like a Degas".  She said he was famous for painting ballerinas.  I thought he was a guy from 20 years ago.  Did some research tonight and found out he was a famous painter (impressionist) from the 1870's - 1900's.  He is well known for his paintings of ballerinas.  One of his paintings is currently on sale for $9,400.00.  WOW!

Hmm, maybe my Egyptian paintings are not "cheap" after all - if it was owned by the same person who owned the Degas painting, maybe mine is worth millions - yeah right - wishful thinking, but maybe  ....

[mariok54]

Hi,

I don't recognise the actual sketch, but it is definitely of a Degas (print?) or an artist copying his style ..

If it were original....  then someone had a lucky find! The chances? Millions to one, but it does occasionally happen!