A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was stunned when it was revealed that the painting of his wife’s late aunt was worth a staggering six-figure sum.
The man had appeared on the PBS daytime series hoping to get some cash for an antique-style piece of art that belonged to his relative.
The painting in question depicts a rural scene of a man accompanied by his dog, shooting some birds in a field.
And before Alan Fausel appraised it, the owner admitted he had “no idea” how much it would be worth.
‘We got it from my wife’s aunt, who lives in New Jersey. “It was on her aunt’s property and she passed it on to us about 20 years ago,” the guest recalled.
A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was stunned when it was revealed that the painting of his wife’s late aunt was worth a staggering six figures.
The man had appeared on the PBS daytime series hoping to get some cash for an antique-style piece of art that belonged to his relative.
Adding: “Her husband worked in New York, I understand he was friends with people in the Field and Stream office, but beyond that, I really have no idea.”
The man was soon left speechless when he was told that the painting was actually by famous artist Lynn Bogue Hunt and was created in January 1942.
Fausel gushed: ‘This is kind of the perfect storm for Lynn Bogue Hunt, for what you want from him.
It’s in good condition, it’s oil on canvas, it’s a Field And Stream cover that’s as good as the Saturday Evening Post cover, it’s a sort of Saturday Evening Post for the sporting public.
And you have the right dogs and birds. You have an English Setter and an English Pointer.
‘These (birds) are quails. On the back are a couple of notes, this is from the Long Island stretcher manufacturer and a small Field And Stream label that was stuck to it.
And he added: ‘This is the best there is. We try to be conservative when estimating things for auctions, but I would estimate this to be between $20,000 (£15,600) and $30,000 (£23,400). His works have amounted to at least six figures.
The guest couldn’t believe what he was hearing and stammered, ‘Wow! It baffles me a little, I didn’t realize it would be so much.
The painting in question represents a rural scene of a man accompanied by his dog, shooting some birds in a field.
Lynn Bogue Hunt was a prolific American wildlife artist, and is considered by some reports to be the greatest outdoor illustrator of the mid-20th century.
Hunt was born in New York in 1978, before moving to Albion in Michigan at the age of 12.
He returned to the Big Apple in 1903 and began his career as a freelance artist, specializing in illustrations for books, magazines and advertisements; bird hunting and saltwater fishing were hHunt’s particular interests.
The artist published a portfolio of 18 color reproductions of his paintings called Our American Game Birds in 1917, and also contributed regularly to Field & Stream magazine.
His last cover for the publication was in 1951 and he sadly gave up painting in 1952 after suffering from problems with his eyesight.
Hunt retired to Long Island and died in Mineola in 1960, at the age of 82. His work still circulates today and sells for considerable sums.
This discovery comes just after another guest on the American show became excited when she was given an appraisal of some children’s art prints that she said were “just sitting in a drawer.”
The woman explained that her uncle, owner of his own party planning and promotional events company, gave her the collection in 1998.
He also worked for Fox and had a contract with the network, as the impressions were part of a promotion for the station’s iconic Saturday morning Fox Kids cartoons.
After reviewing the collection, which included pastiche pieces of some of the most important historical works of art, appraiser Travis Landry told the woman they are worth between $4,000 and $6,000.
The woman was stunned and said, ‘Are you kidding me? Holy Cow! Well. “It was literally just kept in a drawer.”