A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was left stunned when it was revealed that his wife’s late aunt’s painting was worth a staggering six-figure sum.
The man had appeared on the PBS daytime series with the hopes of getting some cash for an old-fashioned style piece of art that belonged to his relative.
The painting in question depicts a countryside scene of a man accompanied by his dog, shooting some birds in a field.
And before it was valued by Alan Fausel, the owner admitted he had ‘no idea’ how much it would be worth.
‘We received it from my wife’s aunt, who lives in New Jersey. It was in her aunt’s estate, and she passed it on to us about 20 years ago,’ the guest recalled.
A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was left stunned when it was revealed that his wife’s late aunt’s painting was worth a staggering six-figure sum
The man had appeared on the PBS daytime series with the hopes of getting some cash for an old-fashioned style piece of art that belonged to his relative
Adding: ‘Her husband worked in New York, I understand he was friends with people in the Field and Stream office but beyond that, I really have no idea.’
The man was soon left speechless after he was told that the painting was actually by the famous artist Lynn Bogue Hunt and was created in January 1942.
Fausel gushed: ‘This is sort of a perfect storm for a Lynn Bogue Hunt, for what you want from him.
‘It’s in good condition, it’s oil on canvas, it’s a Field And Stream cover which is as good as a Saturday Evening Post, it’s sort of the Saturday Evening Post for the sporting set.
‘And you have the right dogs and you have the right birds. You have an English Setter and an English Pointer.
‘These [birds] are bobwhite quail. On the back there’s a couple of notes there, this is from the Long Island manufacturer of the stretcher and a little bit of a Field And Stream label that’s been left attached to it.’
He added: ‘This is about as good as it gets. We try to be conservative when we estimate things for auctions but I would estimate this for $20,000 (£15,600) to $30,000 (£23,400). His works have gone up to at least six figures.’
The guest couldn’t believe what he was hearing and stammered: ‘Wow. Kind of floors me, I didn’t realise it would be that much.’
The painting in question depicts a countryside scene of a man accompanied by his dog, shooting some birds in a field
Lynn Bogue Hunt was a prolific American wildlife artist, with some reports dubbing him the best outdoor illustrator of the mid-20th century.
Hunt was born in New York in 1978, before he moved to Albion in Michigan at the age of 12.
He returned to the Big Apple in 1903 and began his career as a freelance artist, specialising in illustrations for books, magazines, and advertisements – game bird hunting and saltwater fishing were hHunt’s particular interests.
The artist released a portfolio of 18 color reproductions of his paintings called Our American Game Birds in 1917, and also regularly contributed to Field & Stream magazine.
His final cover for the publication was in 1951 and he sadly gave up painting in 1952 after suffering with his eyesight.
Hunt retired to Long Island and died in Mineola in 1960, at the age of 82. His work is still floating around today and fetching hefty sums.
This discovery comes just after another guest on the American show became emotional as she was given a valuation for some children’s art prints that she said were ‘just sitting in a drawer.’
The woman explained that her uncle, who owned his own party planning and promotional event company, gifted her the collection in 1998.
He also worked for Fox and had a contract with the network, as the prints were part of a promotion for the station’s iconic Fox Kids Saturday morning cartoons.
After reviewing the collection, which featured ‘pastiche’ pieces of some of the greatest historical works of art, appraiser Travis Landry told the woman that they are worth $4,000- $6,000.
The woman was left stunned as she said: ‘Are you kidding? Holy cow! Okay. It was literally just sitting in a drawer.’
