Oil Painting/Original Historic/Huge Custom Gold Frame Donner Lake by E. Brown Young/SEE EXCITING CA HISTORY! Start Price USD 12,500.00 Current Price USD 12,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 15,000.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 End Time Tuesday, September 09, 2008 Location Kingston, Tennessee See more about ' Oil Painting/Original Historic/Huge Custom Gold Frame' Description For the first time in 25 years, you can now own this very special, well-traveled, historical work of art. Our E. BROWN YOUNG painting of California’s DONNER LAKE (near Lake Tahoe) was originally purchased by J.D SPRECKLES for his GOLDEN WEST HOTEL in the Gas Lamp District of San Diego. The painting is most impressive and readily identifiable. The attached newspaper clipping confirms its magical past. The personal history of empire builder J.D. Spreckles, owner of the grand and legendary HOTEL DEL CORONODO is a fascinating tale of early California wealth, society and art. Mr. Spreckles commissioned the Golden West Hotel to be built for the convenience of his employees. Notice the 2 paintings hanging on opposite walls in the Golden West Hotel entrance (newspaper photo of June 12, 1940). Use your imagination to journey back and envision this extraordinary era of California adventure, creativity and culture. The frame that compliments this approximately 31.5 x 51.5 in. lovely canvas is absolutely exquisite. It’s custom made of a heavy, ornately designed wood and plaster, enhanced with gold leaf and white gold painted wood or metal pieces that are accented by 2 rows of gold braid. It will be a truly magnificent collection addition. Visible are a few run marks that add a timeless charm in identifying the authentic ornamental luxury of the magnificent frame. It measures 49.5 x 69.5 in. From the edge of the frame to the painting measures 10 in. and is 4 in. deep (from back to front). The back is also of solid wood. Its weight and size are such that it takes two people to lift it and one to secure it on a wall. The frame (not including the wood backing) consists of 32 individual pieces joining at the corners. We purchased this exceptional piece in 1984 from the renowned Mission Gallery Art and Antiques in San Diego. Its surface was blanketed in a foggy cover of cigarette smoke and had a 3 in. tear in the lower left hand corner ; a thick layer of brown paint concealed its gorgeous frame. For a glimpse of the painting, we had to shine a flashlight directly on it. Since it’s glory days in the Golden West, it had been stored in an art museum. We had it professionally restored by Nora Smith of La Jolla, CA. During the restoration, we received excited calls from both Nora and Jim O’ Connell of Mission Gallery. Nora had discovered beneath the ugly brown paint on the frame was true gold and the original ornate plaster design. The history of the painting and restoration of its spectacular frame made our purchase a wonderful collection addition and a surprisingly sound investment. There is probably another painting of this magnitude and beauty painted by E. Brown Young with a huge, luxurious, gold frame, painted over with brown paint. It’s most likely tucked safely away in some museum awaiting auction. But, unless you are the lucky person who comes upon it by accident as we did, this artwork is definitely a one of a kind. It truly is a rare find and a welcome addition to any home, office, or gallery. You’ll notice in attached photos its gold has tarnished over the years giving it even more character. It’s time to share our wonderful collection of treasures. Other than requiring the occasional dusting and cleaning, this wonderful piece of art is in the same condition as when we had it restored 24 years ago. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or requests for additional photos. Enjoy! The painting will require crating for shipping. We will locate a shipper, but buyer is responsible for crating and shipping charges. I'd like to be able to give you an exact shipping cost, but because of the size and nature of this painting, until it is picked up, crated, weighed, and a destination set, I have no way of knowing, Sotheby's may also be able to provide me with information. PayPal is our preferred form of payment, but if necessary, we can open an Escrow Account. We’re easy to work with and will make this as easy and painless as possible. For additional information on E. Brown Young, you can go on artnet.com. This is the only other painting I have seen being sold by the artist. But our Donner Lake painting is about more than just the artist. It's about the frame, painting, size, and history. It's a treasure! Place a Bid!