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arts & life
ART DETECTIVE from page 46
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48 June 11 • 2015
not what you want to tell
an agent after a fire), for
inheritance or for resale
purposes.
Steam recalls a Royal
Oak resident who paid $50
for a picture at an estate
sale and, basically on a
hunch, decided to call for
an appraisal. There was no
visible artist's signature, but
Steam discovered a name
hidden on the back: Samuel
Walters.
Walters became one of the
brightest and most endur-
ing lights of the Liverpool
School of marine art. His
finesse earned him the
reputation "the aristocrat of
19th-century British marine
Steam inspects a piece of Murano glass for
painters:' Steam valued the
imperfections.
work at $30,000.
Many of Stearn's clients are
individuals with large, private collec-
signature (today, Steam advises artists:
tions. She also works with the Detroit
"Sign your work so people can easily
Institute of Arts to appraise works
read it!") — is missing. But Stearn
donated to the museum, and she gets
may be able to use elements in the
a fair number of calls from individuals
design to identify the artist.
like the lucky Royal Oak shopper.
While she can appraise everything
The appraisal usually starts with a
from carpets to paintings to antiques
face-to-face meeting, where clients can (jewelry is the only item she prefers
discuss whether they want to simply
not to work with), Steam has particu-
learn the value of their piece or are
lar fields of expertise: Contemporary
interested in selling (Steam can help
art, Detroit art and Judaica, which has
with that, too). Steam may find herself proven to be a more exceptional area
than you might imagine.
listening to an "expert" who smiles
confidently, and tells her (as has actu-
Steam recently appraised a
ally happened): "This is an original
synagogue collection that includes a
by Jasper Johns:' But it was not an
dreidel taken into space. The journey
original, and it was not by Johns,
that boldly took the spinning top
and it's worth nothing. Or it might
where no dreidel had gone before
be the other expert who says, (and
added $10,000 to the item's value. (The
this, too, actually happened): "I've got
obvious question: "How did the space
some stuff that's mostly garbage, but
dreidel wind up at a synagogue?"
my husband insists on knowing how
That, Steam says, remains a mystery.
much it's worth" — and it includes a
"Maybe someone died and left it to
signed piece by Salvador Dali.
them, or lost his job and had to sell it.
Stearn will take measurements and
You never know:')
photos, ask about provenance (his-
A former stand-up comedian,
Steam lives in Beverly Hills with her
tory of ownership) and inquire as to
paperwork. Most people do not have
husband, Todd, and daughter, Paige,
the latter, and even if they do it may
who calls her mom "the art detective:'
not be relevant. An artist unknown 20
While her days are ridiculously busy
years ago may have created a water-
with appraisals, in her free moments
color initially valued at $100, but then
Steam does sometimes find herself
he found fame and today that same
going over a final collection she calls
her "Stump File," with a handful of
watercolor is worth $10,000. Steam
also will consider whether it's a one-
paintings and sketches she simply can't
of-a-kind or one in a series of prints or identify. Yet.
any other number of factors that can
You can be sure she'll figure them
determine value. Often, a key — the
out one day.