Antiques Roadshow guest is left speechless after discovering the value of his wife’s late aunt’s painting

A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was left stunned when it was revealed that the painting of his wife’s late aunt was worth a staggering six-figure sum.

The man had appeared on the PBS daytime series hoping to get some money for an old-fashioned work of art that belonged to his relative.

The painting in question shows a rural scene of a man, accompanied by his dog, shooting some birds in a field.

And before it was appraised by Alan Fausel, the owner admitted he had “no idea” how much it would be worth.

“We got it from my wife’s aunt, who lives in New Jersey. It was in her aunt’s estate and she passed it on to us about 20 years ago,” the guest recalled.

The man had appeared on the PBS daytime series hoping to get some money for an old-fashioned work of art that belonged to his relative.

And he added, “Her husband worked in New York. I understand he was friends with people at the Field and Stream office, but other than that I really have no idea.”

The man was soon left speechless after being told that the painting was actually by famed artist Lynn Bogue Hunt and was created in January 1942.

Fausel said, “This is kind of a perfect storm for a Lynn Bogue Hunt, for what you want from him.

‘It’s in good condition, it’s oil on canvas, it’s a Field And Stream cover that’s as good as a Saturday Evening Post, it’s a sort of Saturday Evening Post for the sporting set.

“And you have the right dogs and you have the right birds. You have an English Setter and an English Pointer.

‘This [birds] are bobwhite quail. On the back there are a few notes, these are from the Long Island manufacturer of the stretcher and there is a little piece of Field And Stream label attached to it.”

He added: “This is about as good as it gets. We try to be conservative when we estimate things for auction, but I estimate this at €20,000 (€15,600) to €30,000 (€23,400). His works have reached at least six figures.’

The guest couldn’t believe what he was hearing and stammered, “Wow. It makes me a little sad, I didn’t know it would be that much.”

The painting in question shows a rural scene of a man, accompanied by his dog, shooting some birds in a field

Lynn Bogue Hunt was a prolific American wildlife artist, and some reports call him the best outdoor illustrator of the mid-20th century.

Hunt was born in New York in 1978 before moving to Albion, Michigan, at the age of 12.

He returned to the Big Apple in 1903 and began his career as a freelance artist, specializing in illustrations for books, magazines and advertisements – game bird hunting and saltwater fishing were hHunt’s particular interests.

The artist released a portfolio of 18 color reproductions of his paintings in 1917, called Our American Game Birds, and was also a regular contributor to Field & Stream magazine.

His last cover for publication was in 1951 and he sadly stopped painting in 1952 after problems with his eyesight.

Hunt retired to Long Island and died in Mineola in 1960 at the age of 82. His work is still floating around and fetching large sums of money.

This discovery comes just after another guest on the US show became emotional when she got a valuation for some children’s art prints that she said were ‘just sitting in a drawer’.

The woman explained that her uncle, who owned his own party planning and promotional events company, gifted her the collection in 1998.

He also worked for Fox and was under contract with the network as the prints were part of a promotion for the station’s iconic Fox Kids Saturday morning cartoons.

After assessing the collection, which included “pastiche” pieces of some of the greatest historical works of art, appraiser Travis Landry told the woman they are worth between $4,000 and $6,000.

The woman was astonished as she said, “Are you kidding me? Holy cow! Okay. It was literally in a drawer.”