An Antiques Roadshow guest was left astonished after learning that a painting her father bought from a "junk shop" for just £13.50 was actually worth between £2,000 and £3,000.
The BBC programme visited Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, where visitors brought items for appraisal by experts. Among them was a woman who showed her black and white painting of Edwardian socialite Princess Daisy of Pless to expert Rupert Maas.
Father's bargain purchase
As Maas described the woman in the painting as "beautiful", the guest explained that her father was working in Watford when he bought the artwork from a "junk shop" for £13.50. She added: "So I said, 'Yeah, go get it.' About 1974 this was. And then I've got it, and I'm afraid it's not anywhere at the moment."
Maas provided background on the princess's life, noting: "On her first season in London, she met the Prince of Pless, the richest prince in Germany, and he asked her to marry him. She said, 'I don't love you,' and he said, 'It doesn't matter.'"
Portrait artist's technique
He added that the Cornwallis-Wests, as she was then, were quite poor and "absolutely jumped at the chance" to accept the proposal, with the prince paying for the entire wedding. Maas explained that the artwork was created by society portrait painter Ellis Roberts, who worked mostly with charcoal and would "smudge" his work with his thumb to add another dimension.
Describing the piece, Maas said: "Quick but assured, and that's what's good about this. It's lively, straight from life."
Revealing the value
The expert then revealed that the "junk shop" painting was worth around £2,000 to £3,000. Clearly stunned by the figure, the guest said: "Really? Gosh! I was thinking you were going to say a couple of hundred."
Maas acknowledged: "It's not a huge amount, but it's a lot more than he [your father] paid." Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
