It's one of the questions we hear most often at Steven Stern Fine Arts. Maybe you inherited a mountain landscape signed "Edgar Payne," or a painting of Navajo riders below red canyon walls has hung in your family for decades. Now you want to know what it's worth.

The honest answer is that it depends. Edgar Payne (1883–1947) painted for more than forty years, in many sizes and subjects, and two paintings with the same signature can be worth very different amounts. The things that matter most are:

• Subject. High Sierra peaks and lakes, and Southwest scenes with Navajo riders, are his best-known themes. His Brittany and Chioggia boat paintings and Laguna coastal scenes have their own followings.
• Size and finish. A large, finished studio canvas and a small outdoor sketch are valued differently.
• Quality and condition. Strong design and fresh color stand out. Please don't clean or retouch a painting before it's looked at.
• Provenance. Gallery labels, exhibition records, receipts and family photos all help.
• Authenticity. A signature alone proves nothing. The whole painting has to fit Payne's known work.

We explain each of these in detail, along with why auction results vary so much and how to get a reliable opinion, in our full guide: How Much Is an Edgar Payne Painting Worth?

To learn more about the artist himself, visit our Edgar Payne artist page. If you're thinking about selling, you can send us photos through our Sell Your Art page.