Washington Portrait, Once Ignored, Now Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 18th 2010 at 9:02PM

I'm a sucker for the priceless piece in the attic stories. I think a lot of people are, it fuels our fantasies that treasure might exist right under our noses. That's certainly the case in the story of Oliver Chanler who paid little attention to a George Washington portrait hanging in his parents library. He assumed that the painting was a copy but found out around 10 years ago that the picture is actually an original Gilbert Stuart. Stuart's paintings of Washington hang in museums around the U.S. and some sell deep in the millions. That won't be true of this one, the smaller piece is up for sale on March 27 through Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, N.Y. with an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. The painting has never been restored or cleaned. Chanler happens to be related to the the United States' first multimillionaire, John Jacob Astor, so the provenance seems assured and it could be possible that Astor was the original owner of the painting. Chanler's great-grandfather, John Winthrop Chanler, who served in the House of Representatives definitely owned the work.

Tags: art, art auction, ArtAuction, george washington, GeorgeWashington, gilbert stuart, GilbertStuart

Filed under: Auctions, Art

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Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)

Kelly Feb 20th 2010 1:08PM

I don't even have an attic. Maybe if I build one I'll find something up there. :oP

jessie Feb 20th 2010 1:09PM

i just cant believe someone would sell that if its been in the family for that long

MAlleNrOhSLVR Feb 20th 2010 1:12PM

why's it so absurd for someone to have a library in their house? My family's typical middle class american and a few years ago, my dad, who happens to be a high school teacher, and myself converted an unfinished portion of our basement into a library. . . sure the guy's related to a millionaire but that doesn't mean he has money himself.

Kelly Feb 20th 2010 1:20PM

I don't even have an attic. Maybe I built one I'd find something in it.

CONI Feb 20th 2010 1:24PM

I have a picture of sorts, its a rubbing of a crypt on black satin it seems and rubbed with gold, it is 10ft tall and 3 ft wide
framed.
It has some latin religous writting . I have no way to get it appraised. Maybe someday. I cant seem to get a picture of it to
post .

Mike Feb 20th 2010 1:25PM

My parents live in an older house and in their attic we also found a treasure. A mumified RAT from the late twenty's when the house was surrounded by an orange grove.

TMZ SUCKS AND IS ENTERTAINMENT FOR MORONS Feb 20th 2010 1:34PM

Gee, I'm so happy for this rich guy that is now going to be a lot richer. Thnaks for the uplifting story, AOL. For the rest of us, we have to hold on to our hope that we can attain the american dream. You know why they call it the american dream.?...because you have to be asleep to believe it's real. I can't even afford health insurance.

TMZ SUCKS AND IS ENTERTAINMENT FOR MORONS Feb 20th 2010 1:40PM

You don't have a Chagall painting....that would be worth 20 million bucks or so and you'd know what it was...you have a Chagall PRINT....worth 300-1200 bucks.
Google it.

Wil Feb 20th 2010 1:48PM

Thanks for your posting re: Stephan Girard. First, I agree with "ArribaQuadCities".
Have the Painting restored by the best Conservator you can afford then hang onto the piece. The Art market is at a nadir. In a few years the market will rebound, it always does. Now is a time to buy, not to sell.
Secondly, my first posting was a response to the original posting citing John Jacob Astor as America's first multimillionaire. My research points to Stephan Girard as the first multimillionaire. He became a citizen of Pennsylvania in the late 1770s. American adopted its Constitution on September 17, 1787. Anyone who was a citizen of one of the original 13 states became by default a citizen of the United States. There was a Bostonian maritime merchant (don't recall his name) who was also a wealthy millionaire at the time of the Revolutionary epoch. Thanks again for your posting

Dave Feb 20th 2010 1:55PM

My Grandmother lived in a frame house off of North Clark Street in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chiago. My mother claimed that a hand gun was hidden in the attic in order never to be found. As far as I know it is still there.

Pamela Feb 20th 2010 2:01PM

I have a painting that my father bought at auction around 1960. It came from Bixby Knowles Estate. My parents later saw a copy of the painting on a wall in a Las Vegas casino. Does anyone know where I can get a honest appraisal? I am on the west coast, Orange County, Ca. I also have an antique cash register from the stage coach days. Any ideas on getting that appraised?

Dave Feb 20th 2010 1:58PM

Andrew Carnege had a few bucks .

Draconian Feb 20th 2010 2:03PM

George Washington instructed the portrait artists of his day to alter his looks in an effort to hide the fact he had no teeth.

Ron LeSage Feb 20th 2010 2:26PM

I had an original too but I spent it this morning !!!!

Draconian Feb 20th 2010 2:26PM

How much would a portrait of George Washington Carver be worth?

Wil Feb 20th 2010 2:55PM

Naturally you expect the reply "peanuts" but I would not indulge you. Yet, I would add that it would potentially be worth a lot of peanuts.

Draconian Feb 20th 2010 3:05PM

Carver was a genius! There's probably no painted portraits in existence honoring him because he was black.

Wil Feb 20th 2010 5:23PM

There were many who served as president of the United States before the election of George Washington:
Peyton Randolph (VA) 5 September 1774 - 22 October 1774
Henry Middleton (SC) 22 October 1774 - 26 October 1774
Peyton Randolph (VA) 10 May 1775 - 24 May 1775
John Hancock (MA) 24 May 1775 - 1 November 1777
Henry Laurens (SC) 1 November 1777 - 10 December 1778
John Jay (NY) 10 December 1778 - 28 September 1779
Samuel Huntington (CT) 28 September 1779 - 10 July 1781
Thomas McKean (DE) 10 July 1781 - 5 November 1781
John Hanson (MD) 5 November 1781 - 4 November 1782
Elias Boudinot (NJ) 4 November 1782 - 3 November 1783
Thomas Mifflin (PA) 3 November 1783 - 30 November 1784
Richard Henry Lee (VA) 30 November 1784 - 23 November 1785
John Hancock (MA) 23 November 1785 - 29 May 1786
Nathaniel Gorham (MA) 6 June 1786 - 2 February 1787
Arthur St. Clair (PA) 2 February 1787 - 22 January 1788
Cyrus Griffin (VA) 22 January 1788 - 2 March 1789