A guest on Antiques Roadshow broke down in tears after learning the true value of their items. The latest edition of the hit BBC programme, which aired on Sunday (October 4), took place at Caerphilly Castle in south Wales, where local residents arrived to have their antiques and fine arts appraised by experts.
Treasures uncovered by the experts included a vinyl single by legendary rock band Led Zeppelin, as well as three very special paintings. Art dealer Rupert Maas was presented with three Nigerian modernist artworks by Akinola Lasekan, who was the founder of the art movement.
Paintings bought for £1 each
Rupert said that it was "quite impressive" before taking a closer look at the paintings. "I thought these were lovely, really beautiful," he added. The guest explained that she first encountered the paintings at a furniture sale in Talgarth town hall with her late sister. They managed to buy them for only £1 each.
The guest went on: "My sister loved those, the two, these two portraits. She kept those and she gave me [the other] one."
Expert's appraisal of the artworks
Rupert said that you'd usually associate African art as being really bright with vibrant colours, but these paintings were created with subtle pastel colours. One of them was dated 1995, and was a portrait of a princess. The other portrait was of a well-born young man named Ayodele.
"I just love the way they're done, actually, and the backs of them are almost as good as the fronts. Look, they're kind of made in a local carpenter's shop, these stretchers. And this canvas - well, I don't know what it is, but it looks like sacking or something, and it's just so real. And you can just imagine him in Lagos, in Nigeria, making all of that and then painting them quickly," Rupert shared.
"They're all three oils on canvas. They're very sincere, they're very of the people, and I think that's what we like about them. Their honesty, as well as their prettiness."
Staggering valuations revealed
The expert continued: "This man was right at the beginning of it all, so he's important," before sharing three staggering valuations. Rupert revealed that two of the paintings were worth £7,000 to £10,000. The shocks didn't stop there, as it was soon revealed that the portrait of the young princess could fetch between £12,000 and £18,000 at auction.
Rupert then said: "So, the whole lot is probably worth about £30,000 or £40,000." Quite the profit after each painting was bought for just a pound.
Emotional reaction from the family
"Oh! Wow! Oh, my goodness," the shocked guest gasped, shortly before her niece broke down in tears next to her. Speaking about her sister, the tearful guest then said: "She'd have loved it, my sister would have loved that. Loved to have seen it. Thank you so much."
After taking a moment to compose herself, the daughter said: "That was incredible. That is a rags to riches story, and my mum would have been absolutely over the moon." Her aunt added: "Well, we've loved them for about 30 years. It's about 30 years it's been there now, isn't it? So, it's been absolutely part of the family."
The daughter then revealed that she would be selling her mum's paintings as part of her legacy. "She would be thrilled. And it will be sad to see them go, but time for somebody else to enjoy them, perhaps. But yeah, it's a bit of an emotional day," she concluded. Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
