r/WhatIsThisPainting • • Jan 15 '20

GUIDE What is a Decor Painting? How do I know if I have one?

448 Upvotes

What is a “decor painting”?

A decor painting is a piece of artwork created purely for decorative purposes. Purchased not from galleries or artists, but from decor & furniture shops like Pier 1, Homesense, The Brick, websites like AliExpress and OilPaintings.com or from markets & stands on vacation. Tell-tale signs that you have a decor painting are lots of stippling, undefined figures, hurried brush strokes, gradients, cloning techniques and a certain Bob Ross feeling to it.

Common vintage subjects would be European street scenes, landscapes of mountains / forests / lakes & rivers, vases of flowers, Tuscan landscapes, ocean & beach scenes and Asian style boats. See below for examples. They are often rectangular in shape to hang nicely above a sofa, you could even buy them from Sears as a package. Modern versions are more varied in subject.

Black velvet paintings and artwork specifically for tourists as souvenirs share many factors with decor paintings.

Where are they made?

They are produced in massive numbers in painting factories like Dafen Village in China or Mexico. Another article here:

Dafen once produced an estimated 60 percent of all the world’s oil paintings. During its heyday—when the village’s reputation as an art factory rang truer than today—it almost exclusively cranked out copies of paintings in the Western art canon. These canvases found their way into hotel rooms, show homes, and furniture outlets all around the world.

At its peak, Dafen was jam-packed with sizeable, factory-like studios, all employing Huang’s production line process. Individual workers each focused on a specific compositional element—background details, or eyes, or trees—dutifully painting their part and then passing the canvas along the chain.

Who’s the Artist?

While they are "originals" they are not by known artists. Often entire production lines will use the same signature which explains why your research many have founds pieces by the same “artist”. As quoted above, often many people will work on the same piece.

Do they have any value?

Unfortunately, they do not hold much of any value. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyed and some are even a bit collectible.

Can I see some examples?

Decor paintings are posted to this sub almost daily, while not definitive, here are some common examples:

Landscape Paintings: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6, Example 7

European Street Scene Paintings: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6, Example 7

Vases of Flowers: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3 more coming soon...

Beach, Ocean & Boat Paintings: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6, Example 7, Example 8,

Other Miscellaneous Vintage Decor Paintings: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4

Modern Decor Paintings: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6

Black Velvet & Souvenir Pieces: Example 1, more coming soon...

Please let me know if you see any room for improvement on this post or would like to include other examples. Thank you!


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • May 29 '25

GUIDE Read Me Before Posting

35 Upvotes

Hello painting enthusiasts - here is a brief post with things to keep in mind.

SEARCHING:

To locate your painting, please try the reverse-search tools Google Images/Lens, Yandex Images, and Tineye. (Remember that cropping your picture differently will yield different search results!)

If you have an artist name or signature, I recommend searching for it within r/WhatIsThisPainting itself. I also use the following websites for research; all are free.

DECOR ART:

SUBMISSIONS:

  • Please be patient and allow up to 24 hours for your post to get through our queue! (Accounts under a week old and images involving nudity are automatically flagged.)
  • If your post has gone unanswered for over a week, you are permitted to re-submit in hopes of retrying.

ANSWERING POSTS:

  • If you are making a definitive ID, do try to cite your sources whenever possible. It is encouraged, but not required.
  • The use of predictive text-generators (i.e. chatGPT) is not permitted. They have a tendency to lie!

Happy solving!


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 16h ago

Solved Portrait of a Girl Purchased from a Texas Flea Market - Signed H. O. on back. 16 x 20 in.

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44 Upvotes

I would be grateful to anyone who could shed some light on who the artist is who painted this beauty queen. Thank you!


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 13h ago

Unsolved Unsigned Maritime oil Painting

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12 Upvotes

Bought this painting in 2015 for 400 bucks. Does it look original? What time period? It’s unsigned. Should I get it checked out?


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 15h ago

Help identifying religious painting in my family’s Catalan farmhouse

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12 Upvotes

Bona nit,
I live in a rural farmhouse in central Catalonia, and my family has owned it since 1903.
As far back as I can remember, this painting has always been hanging in the dining room. My father says he’s always seen it there too, and according to him (though I’m not sure how reliable his source is haha), it dates back to the 18th century.
I’d love to find out who the figures depicted are (besides Jesus on the cross, obviously), when it might actually date from, its artistic style, etc.
I’m by no means an art expert, but I’d be really happy to discover more about it with your help. (one thing I can’t do is take it off the wall to look at the back due to its size.)
Maybe we won’t be able to find out who painted it, but I’ll be more than happy if I can learn things about it that I didn’t know before.
I’ll keep an eye for your questions. Merci!
Oh and i havent seen any signature … maybe because of deterioration of the lower part.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 10h ago

Unsolved Original mixed media may be local artist clay county florida

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3 Upvotes

Just purchased and am wondering who the artist is. Appears to be original mixed media and may be done by a local artist to Clay county Florida based on gallery. Believe mixed media charcoal, water color, and pastels. Framed nicely and no other markings on back of frame.

Artist signature may be Louis Demarest (or Louise Demarest).

This is what was suggested to me as interpretations but I don't trust AI very much.

First Piece: A Tribute to Classical & Operatic Musicians

  • ​Imagery: The composition evokes a theatrical or operatic stage set—classical pergola columns, draped proscenium-style curtains, and a solitary figure in silhouette moving through a gate or colonnade alongside an expressive, curling ribbon form.
  • ​Names inscribed:
    • ​Erica Morini: Renowned Austrian-American concert violinist (one of the foremost violinists of the 20th century).
    • ​Maria Callas: Legendary operatic soprano and cultural icon.
    • ​Lily Pons: Celebrated French-American coloratura soprano and Metropolitan Opera star.
    • ​Eleanor Steber: Celebrated American soprano who dominated the Met during the 1940s and 1950s.
    • ​Marian Anderson: Groundbreaking African-American contralto and civil rights figure.

​Second Piece: Modernist Composition Honoring Pioneering Women

  • ​Imagery: An abstract, semi-cubist composition featuring fractured architectural planes, scaffolding/stairs, drafting lines, and an integrated gear/clock dial.
  • ​Names inscribed:
    • ​Marion Barney: Early 20th-century stage and radio actress.
    • ​Rose Bampton: Prominent Metropolitan Opera singer.
    • ​Helena Rubinstein: Global cosmetics entrepreneur, art collector, and philanthropist.
    • ​Rachel Carson: Marine biologist and author whose seminal book Silent Spring helped launch the global environmental movement.
    • ​Grace Hopper: Trailblazing computer scientist and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral.
    • ​Beatrice Wood: Celebrated ceramic artist known as the "Mama of Dada."

r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Art Found During Renovation

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152 Upvotes

Hi,

just sharing this artwork I found during renovation of a mid 60's ex housing commission home in Central Werribee, Vic, Australia in the hope of answering some questions about this mysterious item. The Art was found on 2 separate pieces of Masonite that were used as dry wall behind the old kitchen sink cupboards. I've checked the back and there is are no identification or markings, just masonite.

There are some aspects of this art that warrants research rather than to simply discard as renovation rubbish - Firstly, from my untrained eye, it looks to have been created by a skilled hand(?) This leads on to the painting surface used (which is industrially produced Masonite) and the age of the piece - I believe artists ceased using this product late 50's, maybe early 60's, due to warnings(?) The old cupboards that hid this item were definitely the old 60's cabinets - this would place the creation of the work, conservatively, in the period 1930 - 1960(?).

Lastly, there's the specific (and very obscure) theme of the work, which is the main thing that drives my intrigue. What strange beings do the skeletal remains depict? What are those weird pods that they are wrapped in and why the crosses in the background? Because it was obviously cut out of a bigger piece and there is no signature that I can see, my thoughts are that it served as some kind of Theatre or Carnival back drop(?)

Please note: Because there are 2 pieces cut out of a larger painting there is no Signature on either section.

I'm just hoping someone out there share's my intrigue and could possibly shed some light on what this image means and who would paint this?


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 8h ago

Unsolved Peretz Oil Painting

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2 Upvotes

Hello! I got this very large 36 x 40 painting from an estate sale today in Atlanta, Georgia. It is definitely oil as it is built up in places on the canvas. It is a large stretched canvas across a wooden frame. The signature in the bottom right says Peretz. The people running the estate sale said it is called "River Bend" but they did not tell me where they got that title from. I know nothing else about the painting, other than the signature on the front, writing in cursive in red ink on an old piece of masking tape on the back of the frame, and a lone piece of paper taped to the back of the piece. The piece of paper looks like it came from a type writer and says "Art-Lore, Inc" on the bottom. It also includes information about the artist. But, no matter how much I look, I cannot find anything about the artist based on the information on the little bio sheet. I did find, however, another artist with an extremely similar signature: David Peretz. He was a Bulgarian artist that worked in Eastern Europe and later France from the 1930s and into the 1960s. The style of the painting is very similar to some of his plein air works from the 1950s. I am interested in selling this piece to an auction house, but I am uncertain if it is a mislabeled David Peretz, a piece by an unknown Argentian painter named Peretz, or something else entirely. HALP HALP.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 19h ago

Unsolved Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

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13 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 21h ago

Unsolved Abstract Portrait

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16 Upvotes

A portion of the signature “F.” Is viable in the lower left corner, but it’s otherwise obscured by the frame. I’d like to avoid removing it from the frame. Purchased in Toronto. 14x18” oil on masonite. Any insight on who might have painted this would be appreciated.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 18h ago

Unsolved Maurice Meyer original painting, from 1991 or earlier

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4 Upvotes

As the title says, I am trying to find out more information regarding an original artwork by an artist known for landscapes and ocean views, Maurice Meyer.

My mom owned this painting since at least 1991. It's a beautiful piece of art, and I have no idea how to price an item like this. (It's a bit large for me, and I'm keeping a second painting that is slightly smaller).

The back of the frame has a number and a stamp from valley molding and frame, Burbank California.

I am reasonably sure that my mom hasn't visited there since my birth, in 1987.

Any ideas folks?

Size of the painting is 36x24. With frame, it is 40 in wide by 30.25 tall.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 20h ago

Solved Any ideas on who the artist is?

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5 Upvotes

It was donated charity UK. Looks like chalk or pastel. I've tried using Google lens to no avail. Struggling to read the signature.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 11h ago

Unsolved Whose painting is this?

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0 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 12h ago

Unsolved Mixed media abstract pieces.

1 Upvotes

I am trying to learn more about these pieces of abstract mixed-media artwork.

There seems to be a signature on two of them. I don't know what it says.

Also the picture that has the yellow section in the middle has something etched into it. I think the first character is the Letter M, not sure about the rest.

The back has BAINBRIDGE. I assume the one that is framed also has BAINBRIDGE. I am unable to get this piece out of the frame. It's not a typical frame.

If anyone recognizes the specific name of this series or may know who the artist is I would appreciate any information. If someone knows who else I could ask I would appreciate that information too.

I acquired these from a family member who sadly passed away. I have no idea where such family member got them.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Solved Found this really cool oil painting on the streets :)

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12 Upvotes

Does anybody have any information? I must say, I really like the artwork.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 20h ago

Unsolved Identifying tarot card

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4 Upvotes

Hi! I recently bought the pre-raphaelite tarot deck by Giuliano Costa. It says that all of the cards are supposed to be inspired from specific paintings of that time, but sadly, there is no list of them in the booklet that came with the pack or on the internet. I have therefore went on a quest to find them all, and so far, it has been quite successfull, 53 found in total! However, I've hit a roadblock: I've searched up many websites listing paintings from that period, looked at artist webpages, but nothing. In am now skeptic if all paintings are really inspired by specific paintings or if some are just inspired by the original Rider Waite tarot but made into a pre-raphaelite style. I am therefore asking for some help here, in-case anyone knows where the fool card come from :)


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 12h ago

Unsolved Identify 2 paintings

1 Upvotes

My parents use to have 2 paintings, both square. One was of a little blonde boy in a blue jumper (stroking a dog/cat) i think and the other was of a little girl with long soft blonde hair in a pink baggy jumper.

They both appeared to be in the same setting, in the living room of either a barn or old cottage. I remember the girl having her back to us, unsure about the boy.

From the 90s.

I wish I could say more, I can visualise them so vividly but struggling to describe any further details.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 16h ago

Unsolved Anybody knows anything about this painting I don't see any signature in the front only in the back has something

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1 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Unsolved Can anyone read this?

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17 Upvotes

This painting is at an auction. Size 20cm x 16 cm on cardboard. Anyone can date and translate what it says?


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Unsolved Can anyone identify the artist of this Corfu watercolor? Signature reads like D. Keurt / Keunt

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6 Upvotes

Original ink and watercolor, found among family sketches. It shows Vlacherna monastery and Pontikonisi (Mouse Island) at Kanoni, Corfu, and is captioned lower right 'Pontikonisi - Corfu'. The signature lower left looks like D. Keurt or Keunt to me, but I can't pin it down — reverse image search found nothing. Can anyone read the signature or recognize the artist? The back is blank except for ink indentations from the drawing. Any help appreciated.


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Unsolved Help reading the signature on a small oil of the Champs-Élysées, Paris (1930s?)

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25 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to identify the artist of this small oil on panel (14 x 24 cm, in a gilt frame). It shows the Champs-Élysées looking towards the Arc de Triomphe, with pedestrians, café awnings and two cars. The cars suggest the mid-1930s.

The auction house catalogued it only as “French school, early 20th century”, so they could not read the signature either.

The signature is in the lower right corner: “Ch.” for Charles, then the surname. The paint has run and smudged there, so I can’t read it with certainty. It may start with “M”, and the end is lost under a dark spot and partly hidden by the frame. Close-up attached.

Does anyone recognise this signature, or know a painter of Paris street scenes named Charles with a similar surname? Any suggestions welcome.

Thank you!


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 22h ago

Likely Solved - Decor Anyone know anything about this?

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2 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Solved Painting finding help

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1 Upvotes

Painting help.

my mother wanted this painting for Christmas.

She was going to buy a reproduction of it for someone, this person then blocked her and refunded her, she has been upset about it.

PLEASE can anyone help me find a copy of this painting.

🖼️

She originally found it on vinted UK… could anyone find a listing for this painting. Even if it is a reproduction!

🫡 thank you in advance!


r/WhatIsThisPainting • • 1d ago

Likely Solved Pastel portrait of Bob Marley signed "Christopher R. C…" 2009 – can anyone read the signature / know the artist?

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14 Upvotes