F is for fake – revisited

What can I say?
Someone paid $200 for this genuine fake on eBay this week. 

If the buyer want to do another investment just like the above: just follow this LINK.

The real deal?

This drawing was auctioned yesterday. (Heritage Auctions)
Fetched $836.50 (Incl. BP).
Now, it doesn't look like Barks of 1982 vintage at all to me.
Never seen a Barks sketch that looked like this. Even the signature is off.

I'd have to say fake, when it comes to this piece.

Bonus:
The drawing below was withdrawn from the August - September ComicConnect auction. A rather crude fake. Happy it was pulled.

New Carl Barks site!

There's a new Carl Barks site on the web!
And this one is all about the surviving original art pages.
Søren Marsner has done a great job and the site is filled with rare photos and info.
Please check it out, if you havn't done so already!
http://www.carlbarkscomicbookart.dk/

A tiny Gottfredson

This tiny, tiny Mickey image caught my eye.

Anyone out there with a larger image at hand? And where does it come from?

US #61 p.02

Here's a nifty piece of art for all the Barks fans.
A page from Uncle Scrooge #61 that was auctioned off back in 2013, by Hakes. Enjoy!

From the description:
"Art was published in 1966 by Gold Key. Barks used two sheets of Schoeller Durex thin art board, each 13x18-7/8”, taped together w/masking tape on blank side margins to make complete full page for publication. Total india ink image area is 11.5x23.25” w/seven panels for page two."

Winning bid: $16,215.00.

FC 275

I was quite surprised when this piece turned up on Comicartfans recently. Carl Barks original cover to FC 275! Long thought lost and gone forever. Wow!

Here's what the owner wrote on the CAF site:
"This belonged to a California artist who sold at Art Shows along with Carl and Gare Barks. After becoming friends, Carl gave him some items-----including a 1970 landscape and this piece. When I saw it displayed on his wall, I asked if he would sell it, and he responded with a price. I accepted without any attempt to negotiate."

Now, let's take a closer look and compare this piece with the printed cover.

And I could go on.
The more I look at it the more differences I see. Even the line weight doesn't match the published cover. Enlarge the image of the ink drawing and compare to your own copy of FC 275 and try to spot the differences.

So, unfortunately this is not the real deal. The piece is still on CAF and can be found by clicking HERE.

WDC 405

Recently this piece turned up:

Looks like an alternate version of the cover to WDC 405. But is it by Barks?

Here's  a screenshot of the original listing:

Some people said it was a trace and a fake.
Take a close look. What do you think?

Now, let's see what the *evidence* says.

1. The paper.
See the stamped image in the top left corner? Schoeller Durex was the paper used by Western publishing. The back has preprinted borders. (See image.) So this is done on a genuine Western Publishing board.

2. The stamp
It's stamped with the proper early (1970s) "WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS" stamp, lacking the (c) in the stamp. (Notice it's not stamped with the later stamp that says "(C) THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY")

On to what can be seen and judged:

3. The no-match
The drawing doesn't match the published cover or the painting. Stuff has been drawn differently. (If it had been a forgery/a trace why not try to make it as close as possible?) It's actually closer to the printed cover. I'd say this pre-dates the painting, but this version was used as a basis for the later cover.

See here how the drawing doesn't match the painting. So it's not a tracing. 

4. The handwriting.
The "To Denver Carl Barks" is written by Carl. No doubt about it. (If not this is the best Barks handwriting forgery I've ever seen.)

5. The nephews
Compare the nephews to the printed cover. You can tell that they have been cleaned up by someone else on the cover. (Possibly Larry Mayer.) What we see here is the real deal. You can't forge stuff like this. Barks quick sketches are extremely hard to fake. It's like handwriting.

Now, the tricky thing with this piece is the inking and the double signatures. Why sign a piece twice?

After having looked at this piece I'd say it's by Barks. At least the pencils. It might have been inked by Carl by the request of the fan. Remember that this was done in the mid 70s or later. Barks had not been inking regularely with a nib for many years. And he was in his mid 70s or older. Look at this inked piece from 1977.  Not exactly up to par with what he did in the late 60's.

Carl Barks 1977

Or... the inking and the extra signature might have been added at a later date by someone else to "enhance" the piece. I have to see the piece in person to judge that.

My conclusion:
The paper, the first signature, the stamp and the pencils is the real deal.
The inking I have to examine in person to judge it. To be really, really sure I'd probably have to see a photo with Barks holding the inked piece.


/Joakim.

Bonus:
Here's the printed cover and the original art to WDC 405. (Courtesy of Inducks and Heritage Comics.)

Frank Robbins 1947

14-67 Dragon Lady

Back in 1967 Carl Barks did a series of 8 paintings featuring females. 

This is one of them, called "Dragon Lady". 

See more here: http://www.cbarks.dk/thegypsypainting.htm

Stamp Collector Pencils

Two pencil sketches by Carl Barks cobbled toghether.
For the unfinished oil "Stamp Collectors' Bad Moment" 1987. 

US 60 Cover sketch

Barks oil 21-66

This painting by Carl Barks was recently up for auction.
Labeled 21-66 and titled "Distant temples".
Here are the images from the auction, for those of you who are interested in his non-ducks paintings.

Barks index in print

Just a quick note to say that Kim Weston has published his Carl Barks index as a book. Check out the Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Carl-Barks-Index/dp/1535555432