BBC Antiques Roadshow expert slaps five-figure value on painting by local artist over intriguing backstory
Antiques Roadshow expert Charlotte Riordan left one guest stunned with the fascinating backstory of his parents 1890s painting which was gifted by their neighbour.
In a classic episode, which originally aired back in September 2013, the roadshow travelled to Glasgow’s Pollok Park, where finds include an incredibly rare Victoria Cross medal awarded to a Sikh soldier in the Second World War.
The rerun episode will air tonight on BBC One and sees an array of items leave the experts stunned and issuing valuations into the thousands.
Before Riordan explored one particular painting, Bruce explained: “Glasgow has a long artistic tradition exemplified by the art nouveau design and architecture of Charles Rennie McIntosh.
“But also expressed in the Modernist paintings of his contemporaries which came to be known as the Glasgow boys such as artists Edward Atkinson Hornel.”
Welcoming the guest and his item to the roadshow, Riordan said: “So, thank you for joining us today, Alastair, and for bringing whilst we’re in Glasgow a painting by one of the Glasgow boys.
“Not only a Glasgow boy but one of my favourite Glasgow boys. I really like the work of Hornel. Tell me a little bit about how this came to be in your possession.”
Adrian revealed: “It is an old family friend of my parents, a woman we call Mrs Smith, we lived in the tenant building.
“She had this hanging in the tenant building in Glasgow and my parents took care of her for about 40 years and when she died, she left that too them.”
Riordan was keen to delve into the history and began: “That’s a really special gift. Now the Glasgow boys were a group of about 20 artists, kind of turn of the century in Glasgow, really rebelling against sort of the Victorian traditions.
“They were looking at Europe and in fact Hornel studied in Antwerp, studying in placed like France and Belgium.
“Basically, they were modernists, they were the Scottish modernists of the day. Now, what makes this one really interesting is I think it is arguably the best decade of his career which is the 1890s.
“What makes that era special is that it was very shortly after his trip to Japan with his fellow artists George Henry, they were funded to go away for 18 months and very much like the post-impressionists, they were looking at Japanese prints for inspiration.
“Really from a collector’s point of view this is the era that you want. It is a really interesting piece form a really interesting and pivotal moment for Scottish art.”
Excited to share the valuation of the painting, she revealed: “Value wise, you don’t see many actually from this era.
“I can imagine this one actually for keen collectors will be very intrigued by an example from this period, I can imagine this making £10,000.”
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Adrian was left stunned at the staggering price joke: “£10,000… My mum will be happy, I’ll need to be nice to her.”
Speaking to the camera about his trip to the roadshow, he added: “It was lovely to find out more about the picture and of course it is lovely to know it has got some value and I just have to be kind to my mother now and look after her.”