BBC Antiques Roadshow guest left speechless by expert's valuation as truth behind item revealed
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An Antiques Roadshow guest was left stunned after learning her item was a rare treasure - and she refused to believe the expert's five-figure valuation. In the episode that aired tonight (January 19), which was a repeat from September 2023, art specialist Will Farmer met a guest with a bronze sculpture of a woman carrying a jug that had been in her family for years.
Describing where the piece came from, the guest explained: "We think that she came from the French side of the family," before adding: "We had grandparents in Paris at the end of the 1800s, early 1900s.". After inspecting the sculpture, Will spotted a "lovely signature" which he said was by Joseph Bernard. "Now, he was born in 1866, just outside of Léon," Will explained, before dropping a bombshell about the piece.
"What we're looking at here is one of his most famous and most celebrated works, which is Jeune fille à la cruche, which is 'Young Girl with a Jug'. There's something clearly classical here, but you can also see that we're moving towards Art Deco.". Going into more detail about the sculptor, he explained he was considered "one of the true early pioneers of the Art Deco movement," before adding: "I mean it was actually said by somebody in the world of academia that if you were to take away sculptures from The Louvre that referenced Bernard, there would be nothing left because he was so influential.".
He explained that one of the sculptures had appeared at a recent auction in Paris with an estimated value of between £15,000 to £20,000. As gasps erupted through the watching crowd in Dorset, he added: "But it didn't fetch £15,000 to £20,000 - I'm really sorry," before revealing that the item had actually sold for even more.
