Antiques Roadshow guest’s face drops at inherited painting's six-figure value (2024)

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WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow guest’s face dropped when she heard just how large the price tag was for her inherited painting.

While many of the PBS series guests bring in items that they come across during sales and auctions, some find themselves lucky enough to be handed down valuable items.

Among those fortunate to be in this position was a pensioner that expert Peter Fairbanks met with who received a painting from her great-grand uncle who managed a hotel on the west side of New York.

“He had a room that had a skylight so he let Thomas Benton use it as his studio and other artists from the Student League”, she explained.

“Some of these paintings were gifts for using the room I believe and they bought some of them.

“And this Joseph Stella was an early work and he had Stella’s and Benton’s and all kinds of wonderful associations through the years.”

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Antiques Roadshow guest’s face drops at inherited painting's unexpected six-figure value. (Image: PBS)

The guest went on to state that the painting had originally been given to her mum when he passed and she went onto become its owner when she died

“I lived with it and loved it for years. We call it the Angel Fish and I know it was painted somewhere between 1922 and 1926.”

Fairbanks noticed that the artwork was under glass and questioned if this had always been the case, to which she replied: “Yes, and I’m very thankful it did, because they all smoked, it would have been destroyed probably if it hadn’t been under glass.”

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An Antiques Roadshow guest inherited a Joseph Stella painting from her great-grand uncle. (Image: PBS)

Elaborating on its creator, Fairbanks said: “Joseph Stella, as you probably know, came to the United States from Italy when he was about 19-years-old and studied at the Arts’ Students League.

“I think this is a wonderful example of his later period. This was a popular frame that was used by Georgia O’Keefe and Arthur Dove.

“They loved this white gold and this real simplicity which is also an added value to the painting so it’s nice you’ve been able to keep them together.”

Fairbanks asked if she had any idea of its worth, with the owner stating: “Well in 1987 it was appraised for insurance purposes for $7,500, that’s all I know.

“I thought it might go down, I didn’t know. I don’t know what the market is for this stuff.”

An Antiques Roadshow guest was taken aback by news that her painting was worth $250,000. (Image: PBS)

Fairbanks went on to summarise: “The market has been very good. I would appraise your painting for both insurance value and if it were to sell in an art gallery, at about $250,000.”

Upon hearing its true value, the guest’s face dropped, taking a step back before laughing.

“I’ve just been consulting with my colleagues and I think it’s a spectacular piece, you’re lucky to have it.”

She replied: “You amaze me. Oh thank you so much. That’s amazing.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on PBS.

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