'Antiques Roadshow' guest struggles to speak after expert reveals the value of her 140-year-old painting
Not all guests on "Antiques Roadshow" are unaware of the price of items they possess, as some do come prepared with their own estimates. But when the expert reveals that what they have is a lot more than they thought all along, owners who quoted a price with confidence are left speechless. This happened to the guest who brought an oil painting made by Charles H. Wilda to the show. The guest who estimated it to be worth $5,000 got the shock of her lifetime after learning its true value.
The guest shared that she had inherited the painting and didn't know much about it. "It came from Canada. My stepfather had it, bought it back in 1929, and it has just worked its way down to me," she told the expert, David Weiss. She added that she had kept the painting with her since 1966.
When the expert asked her if she knew anything about the artist, she told him that she had a vague idea. "Not particularly, other than he was sort of in the late 1800s, maybe right around 1900, and he did a lot of spiritual painting," she said. The expert explained that the artist was Charles H. Wilda, who was known for his spiritual artwork. "He is part of what you were alluding to, a movement in art that became extremely popular at the tail end of the 19th century, which today is referred to as Orientalism," Weiss explained.
Although the signature was hard to see, the expert confirmed that it was an original painting. "The painting is called 'The Hour of Prayer', and, in particular, the expression on the gentleman's face who is engaged in prayer, I find to be really beautifully painted," Weiss noted. "It's a real evocation of his spirituality, of his being in prayer," he added.
He then explained that orientalism captures everyday life and the movement was part of a coinciding interest, which took hold in the 19th century in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. "The detail is wonderful. The way that the figures are rendered, the architectural detail, the smooth surfaces, and the attention to the texture of the surfaces. It is absolutely a beautiful painting and a great example of Orientalist art," he explained.
Coming to the value of the painting, he told the guest that the market was really strong for Orientalist art. He estimated that the painting was from the late 19th century. When he asked the guest if she had any idea of its value, she told him that somebody had told her about 15 years ago that it was worth around $5,000. "Well, I think there was a time when the painting probably did have a fair market value of $5,000," the expert said before blowing the guest's mind.
"I would say, in 2018, if your painting came to auction, we would value it at $30,000 to $50,000," Weiss told the guest. "Now... Oh, okay. Well... wow! I don't know what else to say," the guest stammered in response.
She seemed to have forgotten how to speak for a while before collecting her thoughts. "Forget those '$5,000' people. Oh, my goodness!" she said in the end.
