Sharon Santoni has spent decades scouring flea markets, brocantes, and antique stores. Now, she's put everything she learned into a new book, The Art of Antiquing in France.
Discover how to buy and style French antiques, the top 10 French collectibles, and even detailed weekend itineraries for some of her favorite markets and fairs in France.
In the excerpt below, Sharon has revealed everything you need to know about sourcing and curating your own antique art collection — from the art movements you need to know to the most notable French Schools of Art, details to watch out for, how to negotiate, and subsequently care for your antique art at home.
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Across 240 pages, discover everything you need to know about sourcing, curating, and collecting antiques in France.
Antique paintings are devious creatures. You start out buying a small oil on board or charming watercolor, drawn in by the romantic notion of the artist setting out from home on a Sunday afternoon, pitching his folding seat beside an old oak tree and opening his box of paints and brushes to capture the view before him. A few weeks later, you come across another painting that would keep the first company — then another, and another. Before you know it, you have a collection. Friends start commenting on your tastefully grouped displays, and soon you’ve started venturing into still lifes and portraits. It doesn’t take long before there are no more empty walls in your house.
Paintings can have several lives, from the first brushstroke to the finished canvas, changing hands through galleries and down generations. You can buy a painting to hang in a hallway, and then, after some months, suddenly decide it should move to the dining room. Each setting reveals a new side to the artwork, while the artwork itself transforms the space.
If you’re thinking of becoming a regular collector, sourcing is everything. A lucky, chance purchase is always fun, but to grow a collection mindfully, it’s best to identify dealers with tastes similar to your own. Build up a relationship with sellers who understand your style, and often they will source items with your preferences in mind. Buying at auction can also bring a particular thrill — not only does the buyer need to hunt down and identify the works that interest them, but there is also the competition to be dealt with. Stay focused; the thrill of a bidding war is a clever tactic by the auctioneer — and a good way to lose sight of a carefully planned budget.
Nineteenth-century portraits are easy to source and make great statement pieces.
Over the years, I have often set out to buy antiques in the company of others. It’s fun to compare notes and to help each other spot a potential purchase, but one thing I have learned is that beauty is subjective. This is particularly true for art; you have to follow your own taste and instinct to develop your budding collection with a cohesive style. Researching the art world is, therefore, time well spent. The more you read, the more you will hone your own eye and judgment. Visiting art museums, reading about the lives of artists, and even taking classes yourself will heighten your appreciation of other artists’ work.
For those seeking authoritative reference materials, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists is an invaluable resource. It details biographical and market information on thousands of painters and sculptors, and can be used to better understand the aesthetic value and provenance of your acquisitions.
French Art Movements
An eclectic mix of nineteenth-century portraits and landscapes at Fannette Wallerand’s store in Rouen.
While most antique paintings you’ll encounter are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when starting a collection, it’s useful to familiarize yourself with the key French art styles. Artists often reference one another and build on past movements, so understanding these styles will help you place your finds within a broader historical and stylistic context.
Below are distinguishing characteristics of notable art movements in France that you’re likely to come across while antiquing:
Gothic (1150–1500)
Dominated by religious themes, Gothic paintings are characterized by elongated figures, intricate detailing, rich color palettes, and plenty of gold leaf. Panel paintings, illuminated manuscripts, and frescoes were the primary mediums of this era.
Renaissance (1500–1600)
French artists adopted the Italian approach to perspective, with realistic proportions. Oil painting became favored over tempera (pigmented egg wash), with a focus on portraiture and classical themes.
Baroque (1600–1720)
Artists introduced dramatic lighting and intense emotion into their compositions, often depicting religious and mythological subjects with a sense of grandeur.
Neoclassicism (1780–1820)
Romanticism in painting emphasized emotion, drama, and movement, often depicting turbulent scenes in rich, dynamic compositions.
Realism (1840–1880)
Artists started to reject idealization, favoring raw observation and an unembellished portrayal of everyday life. Often somber in tone and subject matter, and featuring loose brushstrokes, this movement marked the beginning of a turn away from the principles of classical art.
Impressionism (1860–1890)
Characterized by loose, visible brushstrokes and vibrant colors, impressionist paintings were often executed outdoors, en plein air. Impressionists captured the natural world and scenes of leisure, aiming to evoke a sense of immediacy and atmosphere.
Pointillism (1884–1910)
Pointillist artists used the science of color theory to apply tiny, precise dots of contrasting pigment to create optical illusions of luminosity. A notable feature of many pointillist artworks: a painted border — almost like a frame within the frame — designed to complement the artwork and play with its edges.
Post-impressionism (1885–1910)
Building on impressionism’s use of color and light, post-impressionist artworks feature structure, emotion, and symbolism, often using bold colors, exaggerated forms, and experimental techniques. This period gave rise to movements such as Fauvism, which embraced non-naturalistic color, and Cubism, which manipulated perspective and form.
French Schools of Art
A selection of small framed oil paintings just waiting to be sorted and displayed.
Neither formal institutions nor defined movements, the French écoles were loose collectives of artists who worked closely together or were drawn to the same region. They often shared techniques, themes, and the culture and visual motifs of the local surroundings — even if they didn’t follow a single doctrine or teacher.
While each artist in a given school will have their individual style, their work collectively reflects a shared sensibility or moment in time.
École de Barbizon (1830–1870)
The Barbizon school was instrumental in the shift toward naturalism, emerging from a group of artists working in the small village of Barbizon, near the Fontainebleau forest. Their focus on landscapes and rural scenes laid the groundwork for impressionism, emphasizing direct observation and the changing effects of light. Notable artists from this group include Jean-François Milletand Charles-François Daubigny.
École de Bretagne (1850–1930)
Drawn to Brittany’s rugged coastline and distinctive light, artists began visiting the region in the mid-nineteenth century to sketch scenes of rural life. The movement gathered momentum in the 1880s and 1890s, particularly around Pont-Aven, where Paul Gauguin and others developed a bold, symbolic style. It continued into the early twentieth century, with painters often depicting the region’s customs and wild, windswept landscapes.
École de Paris (1900–1940)
An international group of post-impressionist artists working in Paris — particularly Montparnasse — who blended Fauvism, Cubism, and expressionism. Their emotional and intense works captured the city’s avant-garde energy, pushing the boundaries of modern art in the early twentieth century. The circle included artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Marc Chagall, and Jules Pascin.
The Collector’s Eye
A large selection of unframed oil paintings on board.
When beginning an art collection, start small and immediately hang or display the pieces in your home. As the collection expands, your eye will naturally develop a sense of which works complement one another and which deserve to stand alone. Over time, you’ll also become more adept at recognizing quality, condition, and authenticity.
When considering an oil painting, examine the surface carefully. Is the paint evenly applied, or are there areas where the canvas shows through unintentionally? Look closely for any manques — small chips in the paint — along with any visible cracks, distortions, or evidence of overpainting. Has the canvas been relined or restored? Signs of repair can indicate either careful conservation or an attempt to mask damage. None of these alterations make the painting worthless, but they should be noted and taken into account when buying or negotiating a purchase.
Watercolors and pastels are particularly tempting, their delicate nature lending nuance to a collection. However, they are almost always sold framed behind glass, which makes assessing their condition, as well as shipping, more complex. If possible, examine the work outside of its frame. Watch for signs of foxing (small brown spots caused by oxidation) or warping from moisture exposure.
It’s always a bonus to purchase a painting bearing the artist’s signature. The name may be totally unknown, or it may allow for the piece to be identified as part of an artist’s body of work. Either way, it adds another level of understanding, providing welcome information to the art connoisseur thirsty to know more. While some artists sign only on the front (either the full name or just the surname), others inscribe their name, date, or even a dedication on the back. Nevertheless, it’s useful to note that signing a painting is a relatively recent phenomenon. The practice gained popularity among some of the great artists of the Renaissance — the most obvious being Leonardo da Vinci — but only became widespread in the nineteenth century.
Lastly, always inspect the frame, as it can reveal a great deal about a painting’s history, condition, and value. Up to the nineteenth century, picture frames were always wooden, with carved details, and occasionally gilded with gold leaf. From the nineteenth century onward, ornate frames were made more economically, using plaster molds applied to a wooden base.
Sadly, these plaster details become fragile with time and may chip or crack. They can be repaired by an expert or at home with a good deal of patience. Older frames are also constructed with mitered, hand-jointed corners, often secured with wooden pegs or nails. More recent frames, by contrast, tend to be stapled or glued. If the back of a frame is covered with a uniform sheet of brown paper, it may suggest a modern mounting.
Caring for Antique Paintings
At the Puces de Vanves, some dealers display their wares in a casual manner. Here, an oil on board is propped against a tree on the sidewalk.
Frames should typically remain with their artworks, as they are part of the piece’s history and are valuable in their own right. A trusted framer can offer invaluable advice and expertise in how to highlight your art to its best advantage. For unframed paintings, you’ll want to protect the edges by lining your chosen frame with foam, rubber strips, or velvet. If the frame is too deep, cork strips can be used to pad it out. For artworks on paper — whether paintings or prints — it’s essential to mount them on acid-free board to prevent deterioration. A mount can also be used to keep the artwork from touching the glass.
When hanging your artwork, avoid direct sunlight and damp, and never position it above a fireplace or radiator, as heat can quickly cause damage. Rather than placing a painting flush against the wall, allow it to lean slightly outward from the top to improve air circulation. Hanging art in kitchens and bathrooms can pose particular challenges, as humidity can fluctuate greatly. If displaying art in these rooms, avoid paper-based works, use a sealed frame, and ensure the space is well ventilated.
When handling a painting, always use clean, dry hands and touch only the frame to avoid transferring oils onto the surface. When it comes to cleaning, less is more. A gentle dusting with a soft brush once or twice a year is enough. If it requires deeper cleaning or restoration, always entrust the job to a professional.
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