'Antiques Roadshow' expert stunned by a guest's old painting, says 'it's one of the best I've seen'
It's not new for "Antiques Roadshow" guests to be surprised by massive appraisals for the items that they didn't think much of, or couldn't value accurately unless an expert stepped in. But it's rare for the expert to be left wide-eyed after looking at a rare artifact. This happened when the PBS show's appraiser, Colleene Fesko, came across a rare artwork from the renowned artist, Hovsep Pushman.The owner of "The Persian Book" Painting left Fesko astonished. Saying that it was "one of the best" she had ever seen, Fesko shared an estimate of $75,000 for the painting in the end.
To begin with, the guest said, "My great-grandfather wanted to decorate his home in the early 30s. He'd been successful in a business. He went to New York, to the Grand Central Art Gallery. This caught his eye immediately, and he bought it, brought it home, and it was in his home for 75 years. And when he died, my grandmother lived for another 25 years, and then I inherited it from her in 1968."
The appraiser then took over to shed light on the prominence of the artist. "Pushman was born in Armenia and studied in the institute in Istanbul," Fesko shared with the guest. She explained that the artist's family later came to the U.S. and initially lived in Chicago. The artist, however, travelled across the world and found his interest in the arts of Asia.
The expert asked the guest if the artist had left a note along with the painting, as he was known to do so. The guest confirmed he had a note, and he went on to read it out. "He said, 'I'm pleased to learn from the Grand Central Art Galleries that you purchased my painting 'The Persian Book' and you express the desire to know from the artist the spiritual meaning of the painting. My paintings are compositions of a past that probably never existed except in my imagination, and I use art objects of the Orient, as in your painting. My little goddess on the side expresses the mysterious beauty of a fading rose. This represents my past joys, which I imagine is written in the opening pages of the old Persian book. Next to the figure is the branch of buds, which are the whispering hopes of coming spring," he read.
Noting that the literature was fascinating, Fesko shifted the focus to the appraisal. She first shared an auction estimate of $15,000 to $25,000 for the painting, but she had more to add to it. "That said, given the quality, style, provenance, and literature about the painting, I think it should be insured at somewhere between $50,000 and $75,000," she told the guest. Surprised by the estimate, the guest replied, "Thank you very much."
In the end, Fesko went on to express just how astonishing the item was to her. "It's one of the best I've ever seen. It has lovely movement and lovely quiet at the same time," she noted.
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