Bargain Hunt star Irita Marriott has revealed the emotional story behind a Welsh oil painting that sold for £4,000 on the new season of The Derbyshire Auction House. The Quest series, which returns tonight, follows Irita at her South Derbyshire saleroom as she seeks out hidden gems in clients' lofts, garages and spare rooms.
A painting that 'gives chills'
One of the contributors this season was a man called John, who was born deaf and uses sign language to communicate. He purchased a Welsh oil painting depicting miners, by artist Valerie Ganz, for a few hundred pounds at an art gallery in Swansea. It ended up selling for £4,000 at auction.
Speaking exclusively to Wales Online, Irita said: "The one story that really got me this year is we had a first, we had John, who used sign language as a means of communicating. He was born deaf and to see how antiques made him feel and what they represented to him was absolutely incredible."
Why the painting meant so much
She explained that John bought the painting because when he looked at it he could feel himself within it, reflecting how he has felt all his life in this world: "Dark, a little bit secluded, not seen by everyone, not heard by everyone. It just gives me chills every time I think about him because he has done so incredibly well in his life and to be able to show the antiques he gathered all his life and how they made him feel, that will stay with me forever."
Irita, who previously worked as a giftware buyer at a garden centre, launched her television career on Antiques Road Trip before joining Bargain Hunt. She said one of the things she loves most about her job is that "five people look at the same thing and every single person feels something completely different and you never know how an antique will trigger you."
What viewers can expect
Items featured this series include the Welsh oil painting, alongside a Chinese vase and several pieces of jewellery. Irita said: "This series has been fantastic, I always say people watch the show for the antiques, but they watch the show because of the people. The stories sometimes carry the antiques further than they can carry themselves and that's so nice to hear from people who watch it. When it comes to antiques, we are in for a treat."
The Derbyshire Auction House airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Quest and is available to stream on Discovery+.
