A pair of Antiques Roadshow guests were left gobsmacked as their heirloom painting was revealed to be worth thousands
Antiques Roadshow guest stunned by valuation of coins
An Antiques Roadshow expert was impressed as a rare painting was hailed “one of the best”.
Sunday’s (October 12) edition of the beloved BBC series was filmed at the Hill of Tarvit Mansion in Fife, Scotland, where residents brought their collectables and artwork for evaluation by specialists.
During the programme, art specialist Charlotte Riordan was shown a piece by celebrated Scottish painter Jack Vettriano.
“So, here is an artist who probably needs no introduction to the audience at home. It’s of course, Jack Vettriano, instantly recognisable to many, many people,” she began.
“Now, I just want to thank you for bringing this in today because I was hoping we would see a Vettriano today. That’s because we’re here in Fife, where he is from originally. And also, earlier this year, he unfortunately passed away,” reports the Express.
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The visitor revealed that his parents purchased the artwork in the early 90s at the Pittenweem Arts Festival, situated just down the road from the Hill of Tarvit.
“They liked it because of the close resemblance of my dad and his cousin, my aunt Molly. I think they bought it for the region of about £300,” the visitor continued.
Charlotte proceeded: “This was in the early 90s, so they wouldn’t have actually have heard of him at this point. This was quite early on in his career, and before he was taken on by some of the more major galleries in London that made his name.
“Interestingly, this work is framed like a watercolour work on paper, in that it’s glazed and it’s got the kind of cardboard mount, but it is actually an oil on canvas, or perhaps canvas board.
“There’s this sort of sense of draftmanship in the outline, and it gives it this quite sort of graphic, almost photographic, impact. You can see it’s him transitioning from his early style into his more mature style.”
Charlotte continued: “It’s exactly the kind of subject matter you’d expect from Vettriano. It’s a little bit sort of flat in its handling, he went on to develop more depth, but it’s a really, really lovely composition this one.”
Following some research, the guest revealed that he thought the piece was titled “Deckchairs”.
“He was always a contentious figure, extremely popular; one of Britain’s best-loved artists by the whole population. Critically, less highly regarded,” the specialist added.
“However, I know that when the Kelvingrove had an exhibition of his work, a major retrospective about ten years ago, I think it was their exhibition with the most footfall. So, he’s an extremely popular artist.”
Charlotte then disclosed that whilst it’s a bit early to determine what effect Vettriano’s passing might have on his market, the artwork would probably achieve approximately £10,000 at auction.
“Wow, that’s a lot of money. That’s great,” the astonished guest responded.
Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
