Kinkade Cobblestone A/P

THOMAS KINKADE "COBBLESTONE BRIDGE" - HAND-NUMBERED ARTIST PROOF CANVAS, LIGHTPOST PUBLISHING, LARGE FRAMED PRESENTATION A large, serious Thomas Kinkade canvas, Cobblestone Bridge, the fourth image in the Cobblestone Lane series, presented as a hand-numbered Artist Proof canvas from Lightpost Publishing. This is a step above the standard open-edition Kinkade canvases: the image carries a hand-applied number in the lower right that appears to read 531/590 A/P, the back carries the Lightpost A/P Edition brass plaque stating the piece was hand-crafted at the Lightpost Publishing studios, a second brass plaque reading AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEED, LIGHTPOST PUBLISHING, DNA Technologies, DNA MATRIX DOUBLE SECURITY SYSTEM, and a signed studio inspection strip initialed through eight production steps. The scene is prime Kinkade, a stone arch bridge over a mirror-still stream at sunset, thatched and stone cottages with every window lit, chimney smoke rising, a village church tower behind, autumn color in the trees, and wildflowers along the water. The frame is heavy and ornate, deep cherry-toned wood with molded scroll corner appliqus, a wide cream fabric mat, and a gold liner. This is a large, heavy wall piece and will need two people and a good-sized vehicle. Companion lot to the smaller Kinkade Lamplight Village canvas offered separately in this sale. Sold as one framed canvas. Description Framed canvas after the Thomas Kinkade painting Cobblestone Bridge, from the Cobblestone Lane series, printed on canvas with hand-applied highlighting per the Lightpost production process referenced on the back plaques. A hand-applied edition number is visible in ink in the lower right of the canvas and appears to read 531/590 A/P, indicating an Artist Proof, though the marking is small in the photographs and bidders should verify it from the images. Printed and hand-applied artist signature visible in the lower right area of the image. Brass nameplate mounted on the right side of the mat, engraved COBBLESTONE BRIDGE with Cobblestone Lane IV in script beneath and THOMAS KINKADE below that, and a second matching nameplate on the lower mat. Frame is a wide stepped molding in a deep glossy cherry-red-brown finish with dark molded scroll and shell appliqus at all four corners and along the inner edges, enclosing a cream fabric-covered mat and a narrow gold liner at the image. Verso is a finished presentation back with a wood strainer and cross brace, hanging wire on screw eyes, and mounted hardware. Two brass plaques are fixed to the strainer. The first reads AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEED, LIGHTPOST PUBLISHING, DNA Technologies, DNA MATRIX DOUBLE SECURITY SYSTEM, with the THOMAS KINKADE, PAINTER OF LIGHT lantern emblem at center. The second is an A/P Edition plaque with the Kinkade emblem and text reading This Thomas Kinkade A/P Edition was Hand-Crafted with Pride at the Lightpost Publishing Studios, the wording partially obscured by glare in the photograph. A printed paper inspection strip is affixed to the inner frame edge, headed with the Kinkade lantern emblem and LIGHTPOST PUBLISHING, MEDIA ARTS GROUP, INC., instructing that the merchandise be checked upon receipt and unaccepted merchandise returned within a stated number of days, followed by eight numbered inspection lines reading 1. Canvas, 2. Transfer, 3. Topcoat, 4. Highlight, 5. Number, 6. Hardware, 7. Frame, 8. Nameplate, each hand-initialed in ink, with a certification line at the bottom. Overall outside frame dimensions measure approximately 36 to 37 inches wide by roughly 31 to 32 inches tall per the tape-measure photographs, with the visible image area running roughly 22 to 23 inches tall. In every measuring photograph the tape hook is laid against the frame face or the carpet rather than hooked over a clean edge, and the piece is lying at an angle rather than flat and square to the camera, so all figures are close estimates. Bidders should verify all dimensions from the photographs. Attribution note Thomas Kinkade, 1958 to 2012, marketed as the Painter of Light, published his work through Lightpost Publishing and Media Arts Group of San Jose, California, and issued canvas transfers in tiers running from open editions up through numbered limited editions, artist proofs, and higher designations, with the higher tiers receiving more hand highlighting and carrying hand-applied numbering and studio plaques. The DNA Technologies plaque on the back refers to the security marking system Lightpost used to authenticate its canvases. Everything stated here about edition, numbering, and authentication is transcribed from the plaques, nameplates, inspection strip, and canvas markings visible in these photographs, and the numbering was read from a photograph rather than in hand. No independent verification with the publisher or an appraiser has been performed, no separate paper Certificate of Authenticity is shown in these photographs, and edition status, value, and authenticit