An Antiques Roadshow guest was shocked to discover that two 19th century paintings bought by her great-grandmother could be insured for a six-figure sum.
During Monday night’s season 29 premiere, the hit PBS show made a stop in Arkansas, where the owner of the Winslow Homer Watercolors explained that the art had been in her family for “probably 150 years” without realizing the artist’s significance.
She explained to appraiser Betty Krulik, “[They] probably bought by my great-great-grandmother at the end of the 19th century.
“I had copies of it hanging on the wall in my office at work. And I work at a university.’
She continued, “And one of the art history professors came in one day and she saw the works and said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know we had Winslow Homers in our collection.’
Naturally, the artist’s revelation immediately left the guest stunned as she continued, “And I almost fell to the floor and I said, “Well… (chuckles) those are mine.”‘
An Antiques Roadshow guest was shocked to discover that two 19th century paintings bought by her great-grandmother could be insured for a six-figure sum.
The Winslow Homer Watercolors owner explained that the art had been in her family for ‘probably 150 years’
Betty then revealed the history of the art, saying: ‘Winslow Homer started painting watercolors in Gloucester around 1873. These works date from a little later, around 1878.
‘The medium of the person closest to you is pure watercolor. There may be a pencil signature that is very weak.”
She continued, “The one closest to you, the little boy and the girl on a swing, that one has lost color. We call that lightly beaten.
‘There were times when he painted in very light washes, but this is a little paler than normal.’
Sharing her expert opinion, she said, “I’m going to appreciate them as if they belonged to the artist. They seem completely justified to me.
‘I think they are signed with every brushstroke. The little boy and girl on the swing are probably worth about $30,000 to $50,000.
‘That’s a fair market value. That would be the range you could get at auction. I would insure it for about $70,000.”
Betty went on to explain why the second painting had an even higher value when she told the guest, “The painting closest to me has a pencil signing the watercolor. And then these touches of gouache, they’re just perfect Winslow Homers from 1878.
She only realized the artist’s significance when an art history professor at the university where she works pointed it out
Appraiser Betty Krulik confirmed that the paintings date from about 1878
‘It’s in much better condition. This has not lost any color. And you can actually see that the gap extends all the way to the edge, that there might be a little bit of what we call acid burn… from the old frame where it’s dark all the way around the edge.”
She continued, “But you can see the color hasn’t really changed. You get that full range of the greens.
‘What might have happened, however, is that the paper has become very slightly darker.’
Betty explained, “And you can see here that the gouache has protected the original color of the paper, a sort of pale yellow tone. And the papers become slightly darker.
“An auction estimate for this one would be about $150,000 to $200,000. And I would insure it for almost $250,000.”
The guest was stunned when she replied, “That’s pretty amazing. I don’t think I would have guessed that.’
In the premiere episode of the beloved show, appraisals took place at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Another guest was overcome with emotion at the value of a precious gift from his father.
The guest was astounded when Betty said, “The little boy and girl on the swing are probably worth about $30,000 to $50,000 at auction…I would insure it for about $70,000.”
For the second watercolor, she said, “An auction estimate would be about $150,000 to $200,000. And I would insure it for almost $250,000′
The owner of the sterling trophy awarded to baseball legend Rogers Hornsby’s explained how his father had been ‘good friends’ with the sporting hero.
Thanks to this friendship, the sports icon was willing to give up his 1926 trophy so it could be given to the guest – a gift now worth a five-figure sum.
Rogers Hornsby (1896 -1963) was widely regarded as the game’s best right-handed hitter.
Other treasures featured in the episode included the cover art of 1976 Marvel UK Super Spider-Man No. 175, oil paintings by Clarence Millet, c. 1976. 1945 and a beautiful Marcus & Co. boulder ring opal and gold, ca. 1945. 1900.
Antiques Roadshows airs Monday to Monday at 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on PBS.