'Dutch Woman' artist more popular in Scotland

Q. I wonder if you have an opinion on the value of this painting by John Patrick Downie. Titled "Dutch Woman," it is signed by the artist and dated 1896.A. A Scottish painter who worked in both watercolor and oil, John Patrick Downie (1871-1945) is perhaps best known as a landscape painter and seldom if ever did portraits.The piece in today's question is properly called a "genre painting," which refers to images of ordinary, unidentified people engaged in common activities of daily life - shopping in a market, feeding the chickens in a yard or, in this case, presiding over an interior domestic setting.For a time, Downie worked as a postman, probably because he could not support himself with his art. Downie was largely self-taught, but he did study in Paris for a time. He also joined the prestigious Royal Society of Painters.The artist began exhibiting his work in 1885 and eventually won a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1901. He painted widely around Glasgow, Scotland, specifically views of the River Clyde.Downie also painted in and around Gourock, a seaside town near his childhood home of Greenock. While in Scotland, he lived in Greenock, Paisley, Skelmorlie and Glasgow, but he traveled quite a bit and must have spent a significant amount of time in Holland, judging by the number of Dutch scenes he executed.After a little research, we discovered that the primary market for Downie's work is in Great Britain (primarily Scotland) and, to a lesser extent, in Canada. This may be because his style and thematic material do not appeal to most American collectors and buyers at the moment.Downie is known for his skilled treatment of raking light in his work, which can be seen in today's example. The painting is pleasant and well presented, despite the stark, unadorned and somewhat depressing interior view that might be associated with an impoverished working-class neighborhood.Checking sales records, we found that Bonhams in Edinburgh tried to sell a similar version of this image in 2005. It was oil on board and titled "Peeling Tatties." The scene was similar to this, except the woman sitting in the chair had the basket of potatoes (tatties) in her lap and not on the floor.Unfortunately, this piece did not sell on the two occasions it was presented to the public at auction. The first time, it had an estimated value of 700 to 800 pounds, and the second time it was offered at 400 to 600 pounds - and both times it failed to find someone to take it home.More desirable images painted by Downie (mainly oil on canvas or board) can bring a bit more than 1,000 pounds at auction (one scene of a woman driving sheep brought $1,800 Canadian). As a general rule, watercolors are priced somewhat less than oils on either board or canvas, and we feel the insurance-replacement value on this item is between $600 and $800, but only in Scotland.bull;Contact Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 18350, Knoxville, TN 37928 or via e-mail at treasures@knology.net.