Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest who didn’t like her husband’s cat painting is stunned to hear its value (marketrealist.com)
From ‘Hideous’ to High-Value: “Antiques Roadshow” Guests Discover Fortunes in Feline Art They Couldn’t Stand
“Antiques Roadshow” has a knack for unearthing hidden gems, but sometimes the biggest surprise comes when guests discover a fortune in something they couldn’t even stand the sight of. Recent episodes have featured a couple of cat paintings that went from “eyesore” to “eye-popping value,” leaving their owners absolutely stunned.
One guest arrived with a painting by James Bateman, titled ‘Lobster Sauce.’ The artwork, which originated in Germany, featured a fish, a lobster, and a cat that the guest frankly described as “hideous.”
She openly admitted she disliked everything about it, particularly the cat’s bulging eyes and mouth. Interestingly, her husband loved the piece.
The painting had quite a journey: it was initially sold by a former employee’s wife because she “couldn’t sleep at night while looking at it,” only to be repurchased and gifted to the couple after her husband’s passing. The expert on the show explained its connection to a German art trend of depicting “cruel and shocking images of animals.”
Despite the owner’s strong dislike for the feline, the painting was appraised at a respectable $6,700, a value that likely made the “hideous” creature a little more tolerable.
But if that’s a surprise, get a load of this next story! Another guest found herself absolutely floored when a cat painting she’d inherited – and openly detested – was appraised for a whopping $12,000. The guest, who was not a cat lover, had even relegated the artwork to her porch for nearly 15 years!
She explained that she inherited the item from her cousin, a Women’s Army Corps veteran from World War II, who had purchased it in Paris. Her cousin, a genuine cat enthusiast, paid a “few hundred dollars” for it, believing it to be valuable. Little did she know just how valuable.
“Antiques Roadshow” expert Todd Weyman identified the painting as a lithograph by the renowned artist Theophile Steinlen. He authenticated the piece by highlighting the artist’s signature and the publisher’s stamp.
Weyman also offered some important preservation advice, noting that the print should not be pressed directly against glass and would benefit from being matted. He observed some “humidification marks” likely caused by the improper framing.
Despite these minor issues, the lithograph was in excellent condition. “If I had to put a replacement value or a retail value on this,” Weyman announced, “I would say it’s around $10,000 to $12,000.”
The guest’s reaction was priceless. “I’m stunned!”
she exclaimed, letting out a deep, astonished sigh.
In a playful exchange, Weyman jokingly asked if she had started to love cats now. Her response?
“I’m beginning to love it. I just can’t believe it!”
It just goes to show, sometimes the most surprising treasures are hiding in plain sight – or in these cases, on the porch. Who knew a disliked feline could lead to such a purr-fect financial surprise?