One Person's Treasure II

A manager of a Goodwill store in Toronto found two treasures in the charity shop’s overnight donation bin. Helen Zhuang knew the minute she laid her eyes on the two framed oil paintings last Fall, that she had found something special. The extraordinary paintings were framed and Zhuang found them positively luminous.

The two paintings were taken to Waddingtons Auctioneers and Appraisers for assessment and it was revealed that the two oils were by Peruvian artist Federico del Campo.

One painting shows a sunny Venetian backwater complete with gondoliers; the other, two ships moored quayside on a canal. The 16-by-23-inch oils are both signed by the artist and dated 1895. Del Campo was born in Peru in 1837. He traveled to Madrid to study art and lived mostly in Italy until his death in 1927, catering to the artistic tastes of wealthy European and North American tourists, perhaps on the “Grand Tour”.

This Tuesday, June 9th, the paintings were sold by Waddington’s to an anonymous overseas buyer via telephone. After brisk international bidding, the combined total was $159,100. (Gavel prices were $80,700 and $78,400)

"There was great competition today," said Susan Robertson, head of the International Art Department at Waddington's. "The artist (Del Campo) is well-known and we expected interest."

Congratulations to Goodwill! Proceeds from the sale of the Del Campos will support Goodwill programs to assist those facing employment barriers

There is no way to find out who donated the paintings.