Antiques Roadshow expert ‘left with heart palpitations’ over ‘visual feast’ paintings worth life-changing sum – as guest visibly shudders and BBC crowd gasp over value

An Antiques Roadshow expert was left with ‘heart palpitations’ after seeing a collection of Indian paintings worth a life-changing sum.

The BBC show went to Caversham Park in Reading to meet the residents and hopefully find some valuables.

Expert Adam Schoon was one of those hoping to stumble across a valuable artefact, but was stunned when he discovered a collection of Indian watercolours worth a whopping £80,000.

“My eyes were wide open and my heart was literally pounding as I saw the visual feast in these astonishing volumes of Indian watercolors,” Adam told a guest as he viewed the paintings.

“They were part of the collection of my great-grandfather, Major General Henry George White,” the guest informed him.

The BBC show went to Caversham Park in Reading to meet the residents and hopefully find some valuables

‘After being commissioned into the Royal Scots in 1854, he was the first to go to the Crimean War.

‘Then he was involved in the Indian Mutiny for a few months, so I don’t think he bought the books then. But from 1866 to 1870 he was stationed in north-west India and I think he bought these books there.’

In the 2017 episode, Adam pointed out a label, a so-called ex libris, that is located on the inside of the first few pages of paintings.

“He may have bought them in northern India, but I think these were made in southern India, Tangor, which is actually the southernmost point of India itself,” Adam explained as he analyzed the pieces.

‘There were schools of painters who, following a certain Western art style, began to make figurative studies.

‘The paintings themselves, which are made in gouache on fairly thick cardboard, were made around 1810.’

Adam flipped through the books of paintings and noticed that his favorite painting was of a dancer with two musicians.

When asked how he kept the pieces, the guest said, “They must have been in storage for a long time and I think they must have been in moving boxes, even during my grandfather’s lifetime and actually during my father’s lifetime, because my father spent most of his life abroad.”

Expert Adam Schoon was among those hoping to stumble upon a valuable artefact, but he was stunned when he discovered a collection of Indian watercolours worth a whopping £80,000

“Well, my eyes were wide open and my heart was indeed pounding as I saw the visual feast in these astonishing volumes of Indian watercolors,” Adam told a guest as he looked at the paintings

“So I guess they deduced from that that they’d been in crates for 74 years and we didn’t take them out of the crates until 1988,” Adam replied. “Well, my wife took them out and said, ‘Wow!'”

Adam asked if the guest had found out how much the paintings were worth, to which he replied that he had “no idea.”

The expert added: ‘I think if I were to auction them, and let’s face it, the condition is good, they are quite large plates.

‘So my auction estimate would be between £50,000 and £80,000.’

In the episode filmed in 2017, Adam pointed out a label, called a bookplate, that was located in the first pages of paintings

The guests were completely shocked by the enormous prize and the audience let out a loud cheer.

‘Oh my God!’ he exclaimed. ‘Well, I told you I’d buy the grandkids an ice cream if they were worth over £100.’

Adam replied: ‘Over £100? I think they were sure of that!’

The guest said, ‘Well, that’s really amazing. Thank you so much for all your expertise.’