I purchased the work from Professor Clapsaddle (art professor) in Alexandria Virginia from his estate sale at time of retirement and moving to Florida.
This is the description I received from Artrauts (Beverly Fenton) in 2006.
The work is as follows:
Niagra Chart Book, 1975
13 pages stacked in order like a book. (Not on the wall)
earth from Niagra Gorge near Lewiston, NY, on muslin mounted rag paper.
The book is not a commission, it is a reference to a large, commissioned work “Niagra Gorge Path Relocated” 1975 (ArtparkNY) using part of the large work. The large work was temporary. The latter has been reproduced in published books, such as Lucy Lippard’s Bk. “Overlay”. We have discussed the possible price and cannot come up with a price. It is a very unusual and therefore it is difficult to gauge a price… It was not meant to be sold; it was a present to a person that curated
an exhibit of Michele Stuart right after the large, commissioned work was done. I am sure that Michele would love to have it as a memory of that large work.
Hope this helps, very interested in selling the piece.
Thanks
Monica Victores
786-682-5930
This is your appraisal report, it has the following sections: Description and History, Appraisal Value (US$), How to sell it, and About the Valuation method.
Description and history
From the description of the customer, this is a price of Niagara Gorge Path Relocated, 1975. This scroll was a 460-foot length of paper coated with red earth from a site where the Niagara used to run and unraveled over a cliffside where rushing waters once carved a path. The scroll was then split in different parts, and sold to collectors. As a curiosity, here is a picture of the installation view:
It is thrilling to know that you have one piece of that!
With the pics I cannot discern if it is an original chunk or a reproduction. However, as it has provenance and from the pics, I am almost sure it is original. In general, it is a good idea to get a Certificate of Authenticity on this piece, as it will provide an extra guarantee to potential buyers. You can get one in the auction house that you select for selling this piece.
To find the value of this piece, I used past auction sales of other scrolls from the same artist. I applied a premium in the value for this one, as it is a limited edition, very collectible scroll. I recommend to sell each page separately.
Appraisal Value ($)
– 800-1,000$ for each
Do you have any other antique?
How to sell it
Art pieces are difficult to sell, you will need some time to find a buyer, so be patient!
To sell the items, I would recommend doing so through the internet. You have plenty of options, for instance:
– Ebay, Craiglist, Etsy, Facebook ads, Amazon marktplace
I would probably go ahead and take a couple of good pictures, like described here:
https://www.channelreply.com/blog/view/how-to-take-photos-for-ebay
Then I would use the provided description as a text to the ad, and an attractive ad title will make it.
There isn’t any special difference between selling it on Etsy, FB or Amazon. I would recommend to upload the same ad to at least two or three platforms. It will ensure a high visibility of the ad.
The asking price can be close to the value, it depends upon how fast you want to sell. In general, an agressive strategy of 20% price cut will work great, however it depends upon your specific location.
About the valuation method
To value this item I have considered the results from past auction sales. Keep in mind that the final price can be different from asking prices that you can find on the internet. You can see ads on the internet with different asking prices. However, a very high asking price doesn’t normally find cash from a buyer.
That’s why our method comprises searching and comparing similar past sale results that had a buyer. That’s why we can provide an accurate estimation of this item.
For art pieces, remember that it isn’t the same a print, a limited edition print or an original art piece. If the artist can’t be identified, the value assigned corresponds to the quality and potential interest of the market for the painting.
