Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest left stunned after hearing the value of a sculpture dug up from his garden (marketrealist.com)
A garden gnome with a history! An “Antiques Roadshow” guest was stunned to learn the true value of a 2,500-year-old sculpture dug up from his father’s garden in the 1960s. The bronze figure, originally thought to be simply an interesting oddity, turned out to be a depiction of the Egyptian god Osiris, dating back to approximately 600 BC.
The guest inherited the artifact and, prior to appearing on the show, had diligently sought information from institutions like the British Museum and the St Albans Museum. While these inquiries provided some background, the full significance of the piece remained a mystery.
“Antiques Roadshow” expert Christian Beadman identified the figure and shed light on its remarkable journey. He explained that the sculpture likely arrived in St.
Albans, a Roman town, with a soldier stationed there from another part of the Roman empire. The Romans often employed soldiers far from their homelands to quell potential uprisings.
This practice could explain the presence of an Egyptian deity in a British garden.
Beadman emphasized the importance of the guest’s documentation from the museums, noting that these letters provided crucial provenance, tracing the sculpture’s modern rediscovery back to 1964. Without this paperwork, the item’s value would be significantly diminished, making it difficult to sell.
The expert then appraised the sculpture, estimating its worth between £2,000 and £3,000 (approximately $2,600 to $4,000) at auction. The guest, understandably shocked, expressed his surprise and gratitude for the valuable information. It seems his father truly did have a good day digging in the garden all those years ago.