Two guests appeared on beloved BBC programme Antiques Roadshow with a bronze sculpture crafted by Boris Schatz, but the elderly couple were told some disappointing news
Two Antiques Roadshow guests were disappointed to find out the true value of their bronze sculpture.
The beloved BBC show has seen its fair share of eye-watering valuations, such as a vase which fetched up to £53million – despite being written off as a “reproduction”, and a bronze statue that ended up being worth tens of thousands. However, not everyone is so lucky – a letter written by former US President JFK was valued at a much lower price than the guests hoped for.
In a repeat episode of the show which aired earlier this month, an elderly couple arrived at the fair with a sculpture they seemingly hoped would rake in the cash. However, it turns out the amount was far less that what you might have expected.
Host Fiona Bruce introduced the couple as the show came to viewers from Pollok Park in Glasgow, as expert Will Farmer spotted the rather interesting piece. The item, a bronze statue, was shown – and was soon identified as a piece created by renowned sculptor Boris Schatz.
Inspecting the item, Will exclaimed: “The gentleman here before us looks very studious, very thoughtful and very considered. But I want to know, what’s the connection with him to your life?”
The guests explained that the sculpture was that of Jeremiah, the founder of the Bezalel Art Institute in Jerusalem. They added that the pair had a special connection to Jeremiah, as he was related to one of their great-grandparents, with Jeremiah gifting the sculpture to them as a wedding present.
The couple then went on to share a touching story of their great-grandparents, as well as showing off a photo of the happy couple at their nuptials. Will was touched by the heartening story the couple had brought with the sculpture, but soon got down to brass tax.
“So Boris Schatz is one of those great names, certainly within the art world within the Jewish community and was actually considered the father of Israeli art,” Will started as he gave context about the history of the item. “I mean, he’s held in such great esteem, and through his work, he sort of very much wanted to define work that was relevant to him, to the Jewish community, to Scripture.”
While Will was explaining the history of the item, the guests waited excitedly, likely hoping their sculpture would fetch a pretty penny. But Will would soon put a dampener on things as he continued: “Now, in terms of this specific piece, the original work of Jeremiah was created in 1911, and the original work is actually an upscale bronze.
“And we’re looking at a piece that’s roughly 59-60 centimetres by 73,” he added, “so a considerably larger work than yours here. So what do you have? Well, you actually have a later interpretation using a process which is a process called an electrotype.”
He explained that what the couple actually had was a much scaled-down copper example of the larger statue that Schatz had made himself. However, Will opted to look on the positive side, saying that it made the artist’s work more “accessible” within the community.
Giving his official valuation, he said: “The large-scale early bronze, they turn up occasionally and they do tend to be somewhere in the region of £4,000 maybe even £5,000.” He added: “Yours, I’m afraid, we’re looking a little more modest, in the low hundreds; it may be sort of £200-£300.”
The couple took the news well when told of the true valuation. When asked about what they would do with it, the pair said they would continue passing the item down as an heirloom.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
