ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

'Antiques Roadshow' guest lost for words after his 'haunted' painting gets a 6-figure valuation

There have been instances when guests even lost their balance and gasped after the price was revealed.
PUBLISHED JAN 13, 2025
Screenshot from the episode showing the man with the haunted painting (Cover image source: YouTube | PBS Antiques Roadshow)
Screenshot from the episode showing the man with the haunted painting (Cover image source: YouTube | PBS Antiques Roadshow)

Guests on "Antiques Roadshow" often arrive with a rough idea about the value of items that they possess, only to be left speechless by what experts reveal. While some guests drop down to the floor, a few handle it slowly and silently. This is what happened when a guest who brought a supposedly 'haunted painting' to the show received a massive six-figure appraisal.

Screenshot showing the guest, the painting and the expert (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)
Screenshot showing the guest, the painting and the expert (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)

Bringing the old oil painting to the show, the guest explained that he knew a bit about its history. "I know there's an artist by the name of Leonora Carrington and that she lived in Mexico," he said. He further shared that the artist originally came from Europe and settled down in Mexico after World War II. 

Screenshot showing the artist's signature on the painting (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)
Screenshot showing the artist's signature on the painting (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)

"Much more than that I don't know, except I know she was a surrealist," the guest added. The expert, Alan Fausel, chimed in by agreeing that she was a surrealist and she often had nightmares which she translated onto the canvas to create paintings like the one the guest had. The guest further mentioned that the artist was born in England and began painting in her early 20s when she became involved with German painter and sculptor Max Ernst. "She did run off with Max Ernst. She's a student and then ran off to France and after the war, she suffered a nervous breakdown and I think these pieces are very personal," the expert added.

The expert further explained that the paintings could be a part of her visions, nightmares, and the the imagery in her life. "And you look at this piece, it's all very macabre and surreal," Fausel said.

Screenshot showing a close up of the painting (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)
Screenshot showing a close up of the painting (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)

He pointed out that the central piece appears to be a "wolf-like figure with multiple arms and legs all around it." He further showed that the figure disappears into the bushes with bats looming around it. He also added that there are some fellows with a spider at the bottom. "Overall, she had a fairly normal life it seemed but she was haunted by these visions," Fausel revealed. 

Screenshot showing the details of the painting (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)
Screenshot showing the details of the painting (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)

Talking about the painting's ownership, the guest shared that it was originally purchased by his parents who had a large house and an extensive collection of art. "When they got this, I fell in love with it, and finally when they downsized, they knew that it was the one piece of all their artwork that I really adored and so they gave it to me and that was about 40 years ago," the guest stated. He additionally shared that his parents brought the painting from Mexico after acquiring it for $7,000 to $10,000, a value which was soon going to be dwarfed.

Coming to the numbers, Fausel said that the painting was a fabulous example of the artist's work. "Now, she painted in a variety of different mediums. This is a piece on canvas so it looks like it's primarily oil," he noted. Adding some insight into the market value of Carrington's work, the expert said it recently went up after the artist's death in 2011. "Her works are sold mainly in Latin American sales so there's a lot of interest in those," the expert suggested. 

Screenshot showing the expert (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)
Screenshot showing the expert revealing the price (Image source: PBS Antiques Roadshow)

Fausel estimated that at an auction, the painting could potentially go for a whopping "$200,000 to $300,000." Despite the mammoth appraisal, the guest appeared quite calm as he took a second to process things. 



 

After a brief moment, the guest only nodded by saying, "They (his parents) bought well. Amazing."

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Despite getting a high auction estimate, the owner of the Meiji Period lamp chose to keep it.
10 hours ago
The player, Gabriel Berkowitz pulled off a perfect night winning over $45,000 and a car.
11 hours ago
Harvey showed no mercy after he found out that Sweet Lou Dunbar didn't know how apps work.
15 hours ago
The founder of Plop Star made an unforgettable entry and a sad exit from the show.
1 day ago
The host is otherwise quick to reprimand families for backing absurd answers.
1 day ago
While the Marvel comic book fetched a $50,000 appraisal, Harrison felt it was too rich for him.
1 day ago
Jimmy Alexander became the first player to lose a brand-new car on season 43 of the show.
2 days ago
The contestant, Brianne Peterson got extremely unlucky with her letter picks for the final puzzle.
2 days ago
The guest was told that the Jasper Johns Flag Print wouldn't be valuable but it was worth thousands.
2 days ago
It didn’t help that Alvin Rosales was playfully scolded by the host just before losing the Bonus Round.
3 days ago
The photos featured some looks of the show's legendary former host, Alex Trebek, as well.
3 days ago
The player, Kate Stuntz, pulled off a miraculous win to take home over $68,000 and a trip to Iceland.
3 days ago
The owner couldn’t believe the value of Jane Peterson’s "The Floats" gouache painting.
4 days ago
The player, Callie DeWeese, failed to choose the right letters in the Bonus Round, leading to her loss.
4 days ago
The personal digs at the host have been relentless on the show by producers and players.
4 days ago
The guest had no idea how valuable her grandfathers Dutch tinware coffee pot was.
5 days ago
It wasn't one of Steve Harvey's jokes that cracked Bridget up so bad.
5 days ago
Fans now won't be able to stream more than five most recent episodes of the new season.
5 days ago
Despite the questionable morality of CATE App, Neal Desai managed to partner with two Sharks.
6 days ago
A supplier of Costco's Dubai Styled chocolate issued a notice regarding misinformation of allergens.
6 days ago