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A guest on the Antiques Roadshow could barely pull herself together after discovering the enormous value of a painting she found abandoned in her office closet.
The BBC daytime series traveled to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh so specialists could appraise a series of strange and wonderful objects.
Among those experts was Grant Ford, who met with a guest who brought a vibrant painting to be examined.
Exclaiming his origins, he said: “From the sunny gardens of Edinburgh to the sunny streets of France
‘This vibrant oil on board with beautiful color, is signed lower right D Bain 46.’
An Antiques Roadshow guest could barely pull herself together after discovering the enormous value of the painting she found abandoned in her office closet.
The BBC daytime series traveled to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh so specialists could appraise a range of weird and wonderful items (Pictured, expert Grant Ford)
And of course it is by the well-known 20th century Scottish artist Donald Bain. Now, what is your story?
The owner then shared the history of the paintings and revealed that she had known about the piece for “a little over 20 years.”
She explained: ‘It used to hang in the offices of the company I worked for and in 2018, the offices underwent a major renovation and the painting was put away in a cupboard.
‘I retired in November 2020 and my employers asked me very nicely if there was anything I wanted and I said, “If no one wants the painting, could I have it?” That’s how it came into my hands.
Impressed by the artwork, Ford asked: ‘What a nice retirement gift! And what do you really like about this?’
The guest then responded: “I love the colors and the sky is so pretty and blue and I don’t know, it’s summery and bright and happy.”
Ford then took the time to discuss the history of the eye-catching piece and credited Scottish artist Donald Bain for its creation.
‘He studied with William York McGregor, a Glasgow boy, but his real influence was France, he loved Matisse and he loved Cezanne and you can definitely see that color of Cezanne.
Art expert Grant Ford credited Scottish artist Donald Bain for its creation.
The owner was stunned to learn the painting was worth £1,200.
An Antiques Roadshow guest’s painting was signed by 20th century Scottish artist Donald Bain.
‘One of his great friendships was with John Duncan Ferguson, a well-known Scottish colourist and a very important artist.
‘You can see in the palette of this painting all the influence of his great friend. Absolutely beautiful and in truly magnificent condition.’
When asked if she thought the painting would be worth a large sum of money, she replied: “Not really, my husband thinks it’s only worth about £50.”
Ford then suggested, “He doesn’t seem to like this photo.”
However, the owner, against her husband’s opinion, said: “No, he did, he has liked it since it has been hanging on the wall for a while.”
It came time for appraisal, and Ford concluded: “I think most people would love to have this Donald Bain and I think it’s a really marketable, vibrant, colorful example of it and certainly worth at least £800-£ 1200”. ‘
The guest grimaced before laughing, “That’s incredible.”
Ford then encouraged the owner to keep the paint, as its value could increase: “It’s certainly something to hold on to, as I can see it going up.”
Ecstatic by the news, the lady expressed her gratitude to the expert for his knowledge of the work of art.
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
