We do love paintings, always have done so and likely always will. We acquired our first painting together when we were in our teens, engaged to be married, excited that we would have an original oil painting in our shared possessions. That was well over 60 years ago. We had been walking along Bloor Street in Toronto, past a shop and there was a small painting in the window, in a contemporary frame and we felt we could afford the $5 pricetag. It was a conventional painting, nothing out of the ordinary, of a small cottage. I believe it is now in the possession of our daughter.

Since that time we have had quite a number of opportunities to avail ourselves of original works of art. We can probably remember where each of the paintings we own were bought, when, and likely for how much. We don't buy for the purpose of acquiring an inventory that will gain in value over the years, as a long-term investment. That isn't our market, in any event, one that requires ample financial resources.We buy because there is something in the painting that appeals to our aesthetic, an appreciation for the artist's talent and vision.

On our last trip to Antique Alley near Northwood in New Hampshire we re-visited a refurbished old barn which features quality original American furniture, and paintings for sale, along with other items of interest to collectors of antique objects. We had previously bought a still-life from them a few years back, reminiscent of the 18th Century Dutch still-lifes of fruits and butterflies, although this was of a much later vintage, though still likely approaching a century in age.

This time they had a very small portrait. It was undated and unsigned which likely accounted for its affordability for us. The painting was obviously the work of a professional portrait artist of the time, commissioned to produce it for someone in the era of its production. It was painted on brass, and there were tiny flakes of the paint that had been loosened over time, leaving a number of minuscule gaps. My husband has long had a interest in painting himself, just as long as we've been collecting, in fact. And he has in the past painted his own landscapes, and done remedial work on paintings that required touch-ups.

And this is precisely what he did with this little jewel. When the touch-up has dried and a fixative applied and dried, it will be re-installed in its frame and find its place on the walls of our home among others of its kind we have amassed over the years.