The Hands Resist Him
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The Hands Resist Him, better known by the nickname of the eBay Haunted Painting, is a painting by Bill Stoneham which became popular through the internet. In February of 2000, a seller on eBay claimed that the painting was haunted (or cursed). They claimed that the painted characters tended to move at night, occasionally even leaving the painting and entering the room it was displayed in. A disclaimer was added releasing the seller from all liability if the painting was purchased. The painting received 30 bids and sold for $1,025.00[1]
According to the artist, the painting was done in 1972 and he used a photo of himself as a child as the model for the little boy. The hands signify other lives and the door signifies the thin veil between dreaming and waking. He states the painting was originally sold to a character actor by the name of John Marley who died in 1984. [2] Further, he has no idea how the painting came to be in an abandoned brewery where the eBay seller claims an art picker found it and then sold it to them[1].
This painting and story became popular on the internet and was even featured in an Argentinian computer game titled Scratches. One person who saw the story commissioned a sequel to the painting, which Stoneham accepted. The sequel, called Resistance at the Threshold depicts the same characters 40+ years later. A third painting, Guardians seems to depict the character of the doll as she appears in the sequel painting. The three paintings can be seen as a series.
[edit] Reference
- ^ a b Gilbert Rowena, Hands Resist Him, Castle of Spirits.com (October 2006)
- ^ "Haunted Painting" The Hands Resist Him, Stoneham Studios (October 2006)
