Pennsylvania woman pays $12 for alleged Renoir artwork

A Pennsylvania woman paid $12 for a drawing that could be an original piece by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Heidi Markow, owner of Salvage Goods Antiques in Easton, Pennsylvania, told ABC News she found the piece at a collector's auction in Montgomery County back in January.

Accompanied by her partner and son, Markow immediately noticed three pieces that she wanted, with one being a 17.5-by-16.5-inch charcoal drawing of a woman.

"I didn't know what it was, I just knew that I wanted it," Markow told ABC News. "This piece just stood out to me as something special."

She instructed her partner to bid on those three pieces while she reviewed other items at the auction.

They met up later and he revealed the not-so-hefty price he paid for the pieces.

"I said, 'What did you pay for them?' [and] he said, '$12 each,'" Markow said. "Everything prior to that was being bid up into the thousands."

Upon closer examination, when they got home, the drawing's faint signature, the frame's "meticulous condition" and the type of paper that was used led to Markow believing it might potentially be a Renoir.

The piece's stamp on the back also signified that it was brought to the United States by a high-end importer and sold to a prominent art collector, Markow said.

"This is what I call a framed masterpiece," Markow said.

She believes the piece is a portrait of Aline Charigot, Renoir's wife, and dates back to the late 1800s during his Ingres period, where "he paid a lot of attention to light and shading."

After months of researching and watching Renoir documentaries, Markow reached out to Sotheby's, which referred her to an art appraiser who has been working in the industry for the past 43 years, Markow said.

Upon inspection, the appraiser confirmed Markow's inclination and said, "Congratulations."

She sent the piece to the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, a non-profit dedicated to preserving art historical documentation located in New York City, for further examination.

If WPI also sees the work of art as an original Renoir piece, Markow said the organization will feature the artwork in its Catalogue Raisonné, meaning "they believe it's authentic." Markow said the review, which, if it goes well, could be the drawing's "golden ticket," is scheduled for April 10.

"It's rigorous, they're pretty tough with their examination. I'm cautiously optimistic," Markow said.

Markow said even if the organization does not decide to feature the artwork, that doesn't mean it is unauthentic, but that more research needs to be done on the piece.

If the WPI gives a nod to Markow's piece, she said she plans on selling it, so that someone who "appreciates impressionist art" can showcase it in their home. Markow said the artwork could possibly sell for "six or seven figures," depending on who's bidding.

"It's absolutely beautiful, there's so much detail in this that it deserves to be somewhere where it can be seen," Markow said.