Fascinating

This morning, I took this small, very dirty old oil painting that I purchased several years ago at an estate sale to an art restorer named Oscar Perez to be cleaned.  If you squint and look carefully, you can just make out a dragonfly hovering in the upper right hand corner, above the fruit. 

What a fascinating time I had!  The gentleman who is the art restorer is 92 years young, and originally from Cuba.  He is full of energy, with an impish twinkle in his eye, and a charming manner.  When he inspected my "treasure" he was absolutely astounded that I'd only paid about $20 for it.  He told me the frame alone is worth around $500!  He said the painting is on its original stretchers, and he could tell by the type of nails used that it dates to around 1860.  It's most likely from England or Holland. 

I was kicking myself that I hadn't thought to bring my camera along.  His studio is so interesting.  It's a mad jumble of pots filled with paint brushes, palettes and old chipped saucers for paints, bottles full of turpentine and other dizzy-making, aromatic liquids, and several paintings in varying stages of restoration.  I spent over an hour talking to Oscar, who told me all about his life, and how he trained in Florence and Rome as a young man.  I could have stayed and listened to his stories all afternoon!