'Antiques Roadshow' guest 'had no idea' his golden Buddha statue was worth a massive fortune
Most of the items that turn up on "Antiques Roadshow" are often family heirlooms, paintings, and vintage timepieces. But sometimes, items related to ancient civilizations are also brought in by the guests. One such artifact was a golden bronze sculpture of Buddha. Apart from its captivating appearance and craftsmanship, there were several other factors that led to the sculpture getting a five-figure valuation.
It had a natural shine to it, which comes out in a regular bronze statue after rigorous polishing. According to expert Robert Waterhouse, many people might mistake gilt bronze for just polished regular bronze and not consider it a highly valuable object. “The gilding is in wonderful condition. It’s not been rubbed or worn. These can be somewhat confusing. Often, patinated bronze figures that have been highly polished resemble this,” the expert said.
The item was several hundred years old, and the guest said that it originally belonged to his grandmother, who received it as a gift from a friend after their visit to Asia. The figure, however, was made in the 17th century, circa 1650. This came as a surprise to the guest.
Lastly, the expert noted how good the gilt bronze didn't seem to be worn out. However, there were a few things that did not work in the item’s favor. “This is a deity. So, this would have been raised on a lotus base, likely a double lotus base, so it fit securely into the base,” Waterhouse explained.
He then revealed that more than half of such Bodhisattvas with multiple arms that are sold are missing the lotus base. But if the base is there, that increases the value drastically. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. The expert also pointed to some signs of corrosion at the back of the figure, which he believed came from some chemicals used to clean it. He also said that it was missing a few fingers.
The concept of a Buddha with multiple arms comes from the birthplace of Buddhism, India. It was then adopted by the Chinese, and such figures are popular to this day. When the time came for the item to be appraised, the guest had to hold on to his jaw. “Speaking to value in a retail setting, this would be $40,000,” Waterhouse said. The guest did not expect this at all. “Wow. Had no idea. Absolutely no idea. That is fabulous,” he said.
The expert also said that if the figure had the lotus base, its value would have shot up to a whopping $150,000. But even without it, this one was worth a ton of money.
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