Finding Antique Paintings For Sale

Paintings are very elegant and can really change the way any room looks in your home. They add color and style, as well as a picture that can take you to a faraway place or remind you of days gone by. Paintings add an artistic flair to a room or space. Having an antique painting hanging in your home will provide a beautiful environment to welcome visitors into. But finding antique paintings for sale can be a bit of a challenge.

You may wonder what qualifies as an 'antique painting'. There are differing views on this. Some people think they need to be creative works out of the Roman and Greek Empires in order to be considered 'antique' while other may say they must date from before the 1800s. Other collectors feel that antique paintings simply must be over 100 years old.

One of the realities with genuine antique paintings is they are very expensive. This is even more true if the artist is well known. One reason why some paintings become very popular is the stories behind them. Besides their elegance, the stories behind paintings are what make them interesting. Not only who painted it but who owned it and where it came from and how it got to where it is are all things that intrigue people.

Now if you want to start collecting them then I'm sure you want to know where to start looking for them. You also probably want to know where you might get them for the best prices.

Here are some places where you can find antique paintings to purchase. Remember to get a verification of authenticity with each painting you buy. This will help protect your investment.

One of the first places to check would be an Art exchange that specializes in paintings. Shopping at these can be more expensive but they are more guaranteed to be authentic originals and provide you with a verification of authenticity.

Another place that you might find them for sale would be estate sales. The family often will not know much about what is in the house and want to sell everything. Sometimes these are great places to find them being sold. You may have to go to quite a few of these estate sales though before you find anything you are looking for unless they are specifically advertized to be selling antiques and then you may have to compete against a number of collectors.

Though flea markets are certainly a place where you can find old paintings finding original vintage paintings is very rare. But when you think that some of the things sold here are from people clearing out their attic you in fact are able on occasions to find a diamond in the rough and be able to obtain it for very little in comparison to other places.

There are other places but the last I'm going to talk about here is the internet. The internet is extremely popular today and as a result more and more people are trying to sell thing over the internet. Searching over the internet for original paintings is a lot easier than anyplace else. And you can at times certainly find some excellent deals for paintings. The biggest problem though is fraud so you will need to make sure that they provide you with a certificate of authenticity for the painting.

So finding good original antique paintings for sale can certainly be a challenge. I am sure you realize that original paintings cost more than reproductions. Part of the fun of finding antique paintings is the quest, so enjoy the adventure as you look at these places and many more besides.

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