A guest on Antiques Roadshow was moved to tears after discovering that three paintings she bought for £1 each could be worth up to £40,000. The episode, broadcast on Sunday (October 4), was filmed at Caerphilly Castle in south Wales, where local residents brought their antiques and fine art pieces for specialist appraisal.
Among the items brought in were a vinyl single by Led Zeppelin and three paintings by Nigerian modernist artist Akinola Lasekan, founder of the art movement. Art dealer Rupert Maas described the works as "quite impressive" before examining them closely.
Paintings bought at a furniture sale
The guest revealed she had first come across the paintings at a furniture sale in Talgarth town hall alongside her late sister, purchasing them for just £1 each. She said: "My sister loved those, the two, these two portraits. She kept those and she gave me [the other] one."
Rupert noted that African art is typically associated with vivid, bold colours, yet these particular works were executed in delicate pastel shades. One, dated 1995, depicted a portrait of a princess, while the other portrayed a well-born young man named Ayodele.
Specialist praises the works
Rupert explained: "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."
He added: "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."
Valuations delivered
The specialist went on: "This man was right at the beginning of it all, so he's important," before delivering three astonishing valuations. Rupert disclosed that two of the works were valued at £7,000 to £10,000 each, while the portrait of the young princess could command between £12,000 and £18,000 at auction.
Rupert then stated: "So, the whole lot is probably worth about £30,000 or £40,000." Quite the return after each work was purchased for merely a pound.
Emotional reaction
"Oh! Wow! Oh, my goodness," the astonished guest exclaimed, moments before her niece became emotional beside her. Referring to her sister, the tearful guest said: "She'd have loved it, my sister would have loved that. Loved to have seen it. Thank you so much."
After pausing to gather herself, the daughter remarked: "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 subsequently disclosed that she intended to sell her mother'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.
