Your Treasured Folk Art Watercolor May Be by Borghese, Circa 1960

by Rob Hoffman

The object pictured appears to be an antique Pennsylvania-style folk art portrait. Certainly, the Midwest auction house that recently sold it wasn't exactly bashful about their opinions (as their label attests).

What this object veritably consists of is a nice old frame with a nice old wooden backboard (authentic down to the antique cut nail fasteners); all this houses a circa 1960 commercially produced watercolor painting. I saw another very similar portrait several months earlier in a St. Louis antiques mall labeled "antique" and priced at $275. The mall specimen, however, bore its original reproduction gold frame, dark paper backing, and a small rectangular label proclaiming its origin to a company called "Borghese."

In any case, I was intrigued by the idea of a company marketing folk art reproductions prior to the time in which such items were considered significantly valuable. With that in mind, I launched an investigation that unfortunately yielded mostly circumstantial evidence, largely from the recollections and reminiscences of a venerable department store buyer, a couple of grizzled antiques shop curmudgeons, and an old letter from a M.A.D. reader. Nevertheless, here's what I found:

In September 1992, M.A.D. published a query by California dealer Oveda Maurer about a clump of watercolor paintings labeled "by Patty Hodgkins" that turned up in California. Later, a reader named Jim McCullough identified them to a D.C.-based company called "Borghese," said to have been in business from 1912 to 1976.

By all accounts, Borghese specialized in elegant decorative accessories. Articles included wood, metal, plaster, and ceramic trinkets such as mirrors, lamps, figurines, wall, brackets, bookends, vases, ashtrays, cigarette boxes, and tea caddies. They also marketed a wide variety of framed pictures including hand-drawn paintings and prints.

In addition to Borghese's rectangular foil label, some objects are also said to have carried a small "made in Italy" label. Borghese objects were expensive and were sold only in "the best" department stores throughout the country. Retail stores here in the Midwest may have been supplied through various big-city wholesale outlets, such as the "225 Building" in New York. Borghese items (including folk art portraits) now seem to be appearing in increasing numbers, having lain dormant for several decades in upscale midwestern homes.

Borghese's folk art watercolors are intriguing in their charm and somewhat-credible flavor but are otherwise relatively easy to identify. Based on examination of several specimens, here are the salient features:

1. Borghese watercolors were painted on a thin matte board, smooth on the front and dimpled on the back. This material shouldn't be mistaken for an antique substance but ought to be examined from the back to be positively identified.

2. The appearance of age was faked in some cases by the use of a light amber wash on the background area of the composition. This produced a mottled and cloud-like appearance that is inconsistent with authentic aging.

3. The choice of colors was usually a little bit wacky. For instance, in the pictured example the woman's dress is rendered with a shade of purple that I've never seen on an authentic antique.

4. Borghese's original frames were modern but antiqued gold-leaf over simple gesso wood moldings.

I asked the manager of the auction house that sold the illustrated item what his policy was on selling such merchandise. He stated, "we sell everything as is" and added, "that's what our previews are for."

So, our final advice has an old familiar ring. Always insist on getting a written guarantee on all purchases. If you're buying at auction, read the conditions of sale carefully.