AN ANTIQUES Roadshow guest burst into tears and was left gobsmacked after discovering that a painting she had inherited from her grandmother was valued at an eye-watering price.
The guest had no idea whether the painting was real or fake until she spotted ‘a dead mosquito under the glass’.
During an episode of the Antiques Roadshow US, which airs on PBS, a woman brought in a painting for art expert Meredith Hilferty to asses.
The guest revealed to the expert that her deceased grandmother gave her the painting, and while on the move to university, she decided to clean the picture and discovered something that would change her life.
Before heading to university, she decided to clean inside the painting frame when she spotted a dead mosquito under the glass and realised it could be worth quite a bit of money – but she was in for a shock when she learned the actual value.
She also explained to Meredith that her grandmother was given the painting as a gift during a summer holiday at a ranch in the 1940s.
The guest disclosed: “I took it out to the front yard, and I opened it up to get the mosquito out so I could take it with me to college. It kind of scared me a little.
“I closed it back up immediately because it looked like it [the painting] might be real.”
The woman also admitted that she had the precious item valued “twice in 1998, as a print at $200 (£159), and in 2004 at $250 (£200)”.
However, the real valuation was way more than she had anticipated.
Painting expert Meredith responded, claiming that the piece was an authentic painting by Henry Francois Farny from 1892.
Meredith revealed: “He was born in France. He came to Pennsylvania when he was about six years old.
“When he was living in Pennsylvania, he began a relationship with the Seneca Indians.”
She added: “That’s really where his fascination with the different tribes began. This piece is really interesting because it’s a dense group of figures, which is very desirable in his work.
“He did eventually spend a lot of time with the Sioux Indians, and they did adopt him and gave him the name Long Boots.
“This is really his most prolific time. 1890 is about when we start to see some of his very best paintings.
The antiques expert concluded: “He represented the Native Americans in a very kind of peaceful, tranquil way. You can see that in this painting.”
Meredith then disclosed that the painting was estimated at an eye-watering $200,000 (£159k) to $300,000 (£239k) at auction.
The guest was shocked and tried to hold back her tears but to no avail.
While gathering herself together, the guest told Meredith: “I can’t hang it up. That’s so much. I don’t even know what to say. I’ll keep it away from my dog.”
