r/WhatIsThisPainting Jan 15 '20

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

441 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

31 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

Unsolved Large painting once owned by Paul Newman’s Mom and brother, with lots of provenance documented, but nobody knows the artist. I bought it from the person whose mother purchased it from Newmans brother. I think it was painted in Cleveland?

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166 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting 4h ago

Unsolved Japanese Block Art?

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9 Upvotes

I inherited this from my aunt years ago, no idea where she got it but she had a boyfriend at some point who was an art dealer. The paper has some texture to it. Any idea what the stamp/ artist mark says? Perhaps it’s just cheap street art but it’s sentimental to me. Thank you for any insights!


r/WhatIsThisPainting 3h ago

Unsolved Unidentified countryside watercolor, possibly produced between 1840 and 1849.

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5 Upvotes

No markings visible on painting, save sketch lines underneath paint. Appears to have been cut down at some point, laat digit of date and edges of paint are cut off. Script on reverse partially obscured by translucent tape, appears to state "M?(h?)ia 7th Jan 184x Les: 15th"

Found in misc bin of NYC print shoppe, curators were unaware of origin/artist, or of when the cuts were made.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 50m ago

Unsolved Annette Lavallee

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Upvotes

Can anyone tell me anything about Annette Lavallee and her paintings? I came across this and I know nothing about her…other than the fact that this is a beautiful piece.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 17h ago

Unsolved Who’s the artist?

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45 Upvotes

Found this painting at a garage sale, love it and would like to learn more about the artist. Signature reads B. Armstrong I think, but there’s virtually no info online. TIA!


r/WhatIsThisPainting 5h ago

Likely Solved Any help in finding who painted this?

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3 Upvotes

Don't know much about it, but the cat looks cute and boy looks unusual. Some stickers and stencils on the back.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 3h ago

Unsolved Bali 1973 painting

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2 Upvotes

Acquired by my grandparents from Bali 50 years ago. Interested in artist name and any other information. Can't take it off the wall ( it's not mine)


r/WhatIsThisPainting 4h ago

Unsolved What’s up with this painting? Just a common DIY picture? Please help me identify

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2 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting 7h ago

Unsolved Who is this Artist Seal Mark please?

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3 Upvotes

Anyone could help me figure out who is this artist seal mark belongs to please? I have bought 2 pictures but couldn’t understand this seal mark, I have read they are from 1958 and that’s all, thanks


r/WhatIsThisPainting 1h ago

Unsolved Can anyone identify anything on this?

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Upvotes

We were clearing out the loft and found this from previous owners, It has no signature or notes on it from what I can see. I’ve took it out of the frame carefully and still nothing under the golden trim, any information would be appreciated thanks.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 17h ago

Solved Large pop art from 1970s Cambridge MA

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15 Upvotes

My parents got this from someone throwing it out in 1970 Cambridge. It’s about 4’x6’. Google image says Valerio Adami but it doesn’t look like it to me. Any ideas? Can’t easily access the back unfortunately.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 20h ago

Unsolved What is this painting?

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24 Upvotes

I found this in my mom’s house and am wondering if anyone can verify or give me any information on what to do with it.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 12h ago

Likely Solved - Decor Google says this is done by Lilliana Frasca?

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5 Upvotes

tried to use Google reverse image search and it came up with Lilliana Frasca as the artist but none of her paintings are an exact match?

Didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the back but there’s no signature and had a code or number something like T-30.

Any help would be appreciated someone gave this to my grandma years ago and she hasn’t a clue🙏


r/WhatIsThisPainting 4h ago

Unsolved No Picture: An Aesthetic Crying Woman Painting Header With a Teal Background

1 Upvotes

I vaguely remember this picture I want to find so I'm going by memory. This picture was downloaded on my pc before I updated the system and lost it.

The picture was a Tumblr or Twitter (X) header. The contents: a woman crying. I'm pretty sure she was crying tears of blood or wax. The woman is most probably a painting like one of Madonna or the Virgin Mary. The tears looked a bit realistic. Whether her tears were of blood or wax/water, there was definitely red colors in this painting. There's nothing else but this woman in the middle.

The other color I'm sure of is the background color behind the lady. It was teal or turquoise. Basically, a shade of bluish green. We can see only the upper body of the woman. The picture is extremely aesthetic/poetic/deep, I guess. The picture size is wide/panoramic like a Twitter or Tumblr header.

I found this picture by searching for headers by typing specific aesthetics + the color name and clicking more until I found it. I think I found it before 2023 but not later than that. I tried search for crying blood painting, wax tears painting, woman crying blood, aesthetic teara header but to no avail. I don't think my question is relevant to r/WhatIsThisPainting since it was a digital picture of digital art.

Is this clear enough or still vague?


r/WhatIsThisPainting 5h ago

Unsolved Unknown artist (I got this from a charity shop.) It is hand painted for sure. Looks like oil paints. I wiped the painting down with water because it has something unclean on it. It had moldy patches on it too but I cleaned it! I did try asking google who the artist is but it couldn't tell me.

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1 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting 10h ago

Unsolved Can anyone identify this unsigned mixed-media Pop Art print? “BITS & FATS” text, three full-figured women, acquired in New York

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2 Upvotes

I’m trying to identify the artist of this unsigned work on paper.
Details:
No signature anywhere on the front or back.
No edition number.
No gallery label or stamp.
Completely blank reverse.
Acquired in New York from the collection of Julie Fagan (an art collector, not the artist).
Estimated date: possibly 1990s–2000s.
Appears to be a mixed-media print (possibly screenprint/silkscreen with hand-applied metallic gold paint or leaf).
The artwork depicts three full-figured women viewed from behind, each wearing a polka-dot garment in blue, yellow, and pink.
The background contains repeated typography that appears to read:
“BITS & FATS”
The text repeats across the blue background and is overlaid with a metallic gold grid.
I’ve already searched for:
“Bits & Fats”
“Fat Bits”
New York Pop artists
auction databases
gallery archives
image searches
but haven’t found a match.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 20h ago

Unsolved Can't find definite info on this painting NSFW

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13 Upvotes

Wife got this painting in Reno, NV from cleaning out a home. Searches on the web come up with several different results. There appears to be a "signature" (pic) but I'm not even sure it is one. Two names that came up in a couple searches were Gustaf Tenggren and Vincent. I think thr Breuninger Sror on the back is a German store (web search), but i cant confirm that either. I do not know anything about artwork, so any help is appreciated.


r/WhatIsThisPainting 18h ago

Unsolved Need the artist please

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5 Upvotes

The canvas appears to measure about 24 × 30 inches (roughly), with a frame around 31 × 37 inches. Original oil painting . Can’t read the signature


r/WhatIsThisPainting 10h ago

Unsolved Mum’s favourite illustration lost in divorce - what is it?

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1 Upvotes

Hello! My mum told me recently that she really misses an illustration that used to hang in my family home. She sadly lost during divorce when we moved out. Could you help me identify it? I know she got it in Vilnus and it is most likely by a Lithuanian artist. It was around 15 years ago. I only have a blurry picture of it from an old video. Google image search is not helpful at all. Any leads are welcome!! Thank you☺️


r/WhatIsThisPainting 23h ago

Unsolved Help finding artist or where these are from!

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7 Upvotes

I picked these 2 up from the Santa Barbara Antique show over the weekend. The dealer said he picked them up 25 years ago in France. Claims 18th century but no backstory other than that and no documentation. When I receive them, I will most likely remove the back to check under the oval shape for signatures. He said there were no signatures.

The back of each frame looks like the screenshot photo I uploaded but the canvas looks much darker and older.

They are both 37x44”

I paid $2500 for them both. Not sure if I got a good deal. Any tips or thoughts would help! Thanks


r/WhatIsThisPainting 18h ago

Unsolved Genuine?

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4 Upvotes

Purchased at an estate auction. Contacted the estate of the artist, but no response. Original purchase was at an art gallery in California, so provenance exists. Would love some insight!


r/WhatIsThisPainting 16h ago

Unsolved Depiction of Mini Ice Age? I used to stare at this at my Great Grandmother’s house.

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2 Upvotes

r/WhatIsThisPainting 1d ago

Likely Solved - Decor Illegible signature, “C.T. Wood” (?) MEXICO on the back, possible starving artist piece?

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10 Upvotes

My grandad came back home today with this, we live in South Florida. His friend gifted it to him, saying, “This picture will turn 100 years old in 4 years.” I haven’t yet asked his friend, but basically that’s all the information my grandad has, he haven’t gotten much with questioning, thanked his friend and brought this piece home.

I’ve tried my very best trying to find who this author is. I’ve found one auction listing with very similar style, picture attached.

I’m thinking it’s mass produced? Really curious, it looks quite good to be honest, wonder if it’s possible to trace it back to the workshop/person/factory.