I found a wonderful little surprise buried among the Victorian paper ephemera I bought at an estate sale recently. An itty bitty painting!
I've tucked this relic into the corner of one my cottages above the desk in my studio. Here's a closer look.
Beautifully rendered, this tiny treasure depicts a tall ship called Hope. Most likely dating back to the late 1800s, it measures just three inches high.
I can't help but wonder who the artist was. Perhaps it was a young boy who was into ships; or maybe a girl at the turn of the last century who loved to draw. Isn't it precious?
Susan
What a treasure, indeed. The work is so delicate and beautiful.
xo
Claudia
Posted by: Claudia | October 29, 2010 at 08:29 AM
What a find!
Brenda
Posted by: Brenda Kula | October 29, 2010 at 12:16 PM
How lovely & what a wonderful surprise!!
Lucky you!!
♥'s
Sherry
Posted by: Sherru | October 29, 2010 at 03:38 PM
Such a sweet treasure! I love surprises!
Hugs,
Jill
Posted by: Jill | October 29, 2010 at 05:11 PM
honestly, this looks like a piece of really really old tattoo flash. im a tattoo artist in ohio and i've got a couple pieces that look alot like this!
Posted by: kyle | October 30, 2010 at 01:37 PM
Contact a man named Chuck Eldridge. hes a tattooer that also owns a museum (tattooarchive.com). the banner is what really is giving it away as a piece of tattoo flash, almost like an extreamlly early George Burchett piece. 2nd would you be willing to part with this heh?
Posted by: kyle | October 30, 2010 at 01:53 PM
I love it when God gives us these special blessings! So cool!
Posted by: nannykim | October 30, 2010 at 03:12 PM