An Antiques Roadshow visitor is left speechless when he discovers the value of a pencil drawing
Antiques Roadshow had another blast on Sunday night after a humble visitor discovered the true value of a light pencil drawing.
In a long-running BBC presentation broadcast from the Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland, antiquarian Suzanne Zack turned her knowing eye to a unique sketch by the famous painter, illustrator and designer Henry Raland.
Inspired by Neoclassical and Pre-Raphaelite artwork, Ryland’s work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Grosvenor Gallery before his death in 1924, but the unique works were still sought after and highly valued by collectors.
Commenting on the fragile pencil-on-paper portrait of a younger lady presented by an admirer of the present, an impressed Zack admitted he was surprised after discovering it was one-of-a-kind, believing it could fetch a hefty £30,000.
She mentioned, “When I saw this drawing you brought today. It was behind glass and I had to lean over and think, “Could this be an original drawing?”
Stunned: Antiques Roadshow had another blast on Sunday night after a humble visitor found the true value of a light pencil drawing
Value: Suzanne Zack, a connoisseur of antiques, spotted a unique draft by painter, illustrator and designer Henry Raland and valued it at £30,000.
“We took it out of the frame and removed the glass and we lifted the new mount you put on it to find the original mount inside.”
She added: “Look it’s by Henry Ryland and her name is Jasmine and it’s an original pencil drawing by him. How did you get this drawing?
The guest admitted that she got the sketch from her brother’s bookseller, who originally bought it for an undisclosed price during a trip to London.
“It was a few hundred, not a few hundred, but I can’t remember exactly,” she recalls.
Explaining the importance of the artist, Zack defined, “Henry Ryland is considered one of the most important artists in the Neoclassical revival that came after the Pre-Raphaelite period.”
“Henry Ryland was a very fine artist in the watercolor medium and is considered one of the greatest exponents of that medium, yet this is a pencil drawing.
“What strikes you when you look at it is the level of fine detail in the modeling and drapery, and the beautiful face that he has captured so gently and so compassionately.”
She added: “There’s something else about her that I think is worth mentioning, and that’s that she might wear classic clothes, but she’s also a woman of her time.
Unexpectedly: “I think if this example is anything to go by, it could easily fetch around £30,000,” she said.
Beautiful: Reacting to a delicate pencil-on-paper portrait of a young girl brought in by a fan of the show, an impressed Zack admitted he was stunned after discovering it was an original.
“I think if this example is anything to go by it could be around £30,000.”
Elsewhere, the guy who designed The Beatles’ first brand was in for a complete shock after some of his credits were recognized in Sunday night’s episode.
The man performed at a giveaway held at the Palm House in Liverpool’s Sefton Park this week, carrying two of his trademark sketches for the long-running band’s drums.
Although he was shocked they were able to raise as much as £15,000 for the designs, he claimed he was never paid for the work when the group went with one other artist, Ivor Arbiter.
Antiques Roadshow continues on Sunday on BBC1 at 20:00.
