Antiques Roadshow guest pulls a face after she nearly 'binned' art worth a small fortune
An Antiques Roadshow guest was taken aback when she learned that a painting she had almost "binned" was actually worth a small fortune, after her son advised her to get it valued
Antiques Roadshow: Expert values painting by Jamini Roy
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was moments away from discarding a painting that turned out to be a treasure.
The beloved BBC programme set its scene in the historic splendour of Eltham Palace's grounds in Greenwich, where a plethora of peculiar and priceless items awaited valuation.
Expert Amin Jaffer encountered a visitor who was less than enamoured with her artistic heirloom, prompting him to inquire, "Am I right in saying that you wanted to get rid of this work of art? ".
Her response was telling: "I did. I suggested it to my son, and he said: 'Well, let's check it out first.' and he checked it out, I think, with SOAS.
"They said 'no, it's a possibility it's a Jamini Roy' and he said 'hang onto it mm.' So I did."
"[He] went to arts school in the early 20th Century and he was painting like a European painter, oil on canvas, impressionist kind of work."
"It was the time when Indian Nationalists believed that India should be ruled by Indians.
"And this expression, this political expression, was felt in every aspect of Indian identity, so artists like Jamini Roy stopped painting oil on canvas and started painting with traditional Indian medium, watercolour on paper."
Jaffer replied: "Well, good decision. SOAS, of course, is the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, which is one of the centres of learning Asian art.
"Indeed, as you've said, this is a painting by Jamini Roy, who's considered a modern master of Indian painting.
"Jamini Roy believed in the popularisation of art, he didn't believe that art should just be for elites.
"So he painted in a style that was very accessible to everyone, and I don't know if you know much of his story, but Jamini Roy came from an affluent family.
"And instead of copying Western artists, Western art school traditions, he went to traditional tribal folk art traditions from Bengal, which is where he originated.
"After that time in the early 1920s, his paintings really revolve around native scenes, so these are very, very typical Indian scenes executed in a naive folk way with a real economy of line.
"And for this reason, he is seen as a modern master of art in India because he was able to distil quite complicated subjects into really simple elegant forms."
Adding an exciting twist to the conversation, he remarked: "So you have something rather important on your hands, in other words."
Hearing this, the guest couldn't help but laugh: "Right, well, I'm quite glad I didn't bin it then!"
When asked about how she came to be in possession of the painting, she stated: "Well my godmother actually gave it to my son, it belongs to my son in fact, when he was about eight.
"And when he came back from travelling a few years ago, I said to him 'I'm a bit fed up with this, maybe we should get rid of it?'
"And that's when he decided he would look it up."
Jaffer then delivered his verdict: "Well, I would say in an auction of South Asian modern and contemporary art, it would probably start with an estimate of like £4,000 to £6,000."
The guest responded with a mix of surprise and humour, remarking: "Ah. Well. Don't judge me as an art collector then!"
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
