Antiques Roadshow guest loses balance in shock after being told whopping painting value

Antiques Roadshow saw the owner of an expensive painting almost topple over in shock when she discovered its whopping value.

The PBS series welcomed a guest who brought in a magnificent painting to be evaluated by expert Betty Krulik, after receiving the blessing of her dying aunt to keep it, the Express reports.

The woman explained: “About six years ago, my aunt was dying of cancer but she invited family members to come through her home and choose whatever they’d like to have.

“And she would say yes or no if that’s what she wanted you to have. But I was immediately drawn to this painting and Aunt Marge said: ‘Good eye.'

“She said she knew the artist back in the 1940s, Olin Travis.

“She wanted to help him out, so she gave him $75 plus $15 a month to do this painting for her”.

Providing some further background information on the artist, Krulik commented: “Olin Travis was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he went to the Chicago Art Institute School, graduated in 1914 and he became a teacher there.

“Eventually, by 1921, he moved back to Dallas and he did fall in love and marry a girl from the Ozarks in about 1923.

“Working in Dallas, he decided to open a summer art school and created an art colony in the Ozarks in about 1926”.

Speaking in more detail about the “beautiful painting”, Krulik explained it was an oil painting on Masonite which artists only started to use in the 1930s.

She also noted that it was signed by artist Travis in the lower left corner with his initials “OT” in the bottom right.

Krulik concluded: “What this picture has is the trifecta: it’s got perfect provenance, it’s in excellent condition in its original frame and it’s a really good subject matter for the artist.

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“Most of the artist’s market is in Dallas, Texas, because that’s where he’s known and he’s the native son.

“But I love the Arkansas subject matter, the great impasto, and the value is about $10,000 for insurance purposes.”

After hearing the extortionate value of the painting, the guest’s eyes bulged as she lost her balance, leaning onto the painting’s stand for support.

She exclaimed: “I did not expect that! Whoa, holy cow! That takes my breath away, good Lord.”

Krulik replied: “She was right, you do have a good eye”.

The guest then asked: “Wow. Where’s my chair?”

In the final few moments of the episode, the expert asked how much the owner thought it would be worth as she replied “I thought maybe $1,500, maybe”.

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on PBS.

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