ART-STOPPING!
Antiques Roadshow guests clutches chest and fights back tears as she learns truth behind godmother’s sculpture
The sculpture of a man bending over while trying to retrieve his fallen hat was given to expert Lark Mason for appraisal.
AN ANTIQUES Roadshow guest was left speechless and clutching her chest after discovering the eye-watering value of a precious item from her godmother’s house.
Expert Lark Mason welcomed the guest, who brought in a sculpture made by artist Japanese Kaneda Kenjiro in the 1800s.
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During a 2018 episode of the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester, Michigan, Lark was given a bronze sculpture of a man bending over while trying to retrieve his fallen hat.
When asked how she got ownership of the unique Kaneda Kenjiro art piece, she explained: “She said, ‘One day, I’m going to put this in my will, and it’ll be yours.’
“Recently, she just gave it to me. He’s something that I’ve always treasured because he’s different.
“I like the fact that his hat is missing, it’s gone, but he’s trying to get to it. I like the movement that’s in his clothes.”
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The antiques expert then explained to the woman that the hat had been carried away on a wave of water, adding: “He is in a rice field. On his back was where he would put the hoe.”
Lark revealed that the sculpture was made in Tokyo, Japan and dates back to 1890.
He said: “It was in response to a change in Japan where there was a real effort to industrialise Japan and move it forward to become part of international commerce.";
While pointing to a square marking on the piece – Kenjiro’s signature, Lark continued: “They were making things that would be sold to a common audience, and they would be displayed in World’s Fairs in places like St Louis, Philadelphia and Chicago.”
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The expert also pointed out the one-legged man attached to the bronze base and removed it, explaining: “You've got to balance the weight. And this is a fairly heavy object. So one of the ways that is achieved by the base extending so far.
“But, also, look what the figure does. It extends far as well. And there's enough weight that's balanced by this, and I'm going to pull it out. You can see that it's got this fairly substantial block attached to the end of the foot so that this is not going to move.
“All that was calculated by the sculptor when he came up with this idea.
Before revealing the item's value, Lark continued: For retail replacement purposes, I think a figure of $12,000(£9,500) would be about right.”
The guest was floored and couldn’t utter a word as she closed her eyes and clutched her chest.
Giving a one-word response, she splurted out: “Really?”.
And after a few minutes of catching her breath, she responded: “I had no idea! That’s wonderful. Oh my gosh, thank you.”
In the UK version of the Antiques Roadshow, fans were in tears as the BBC paid tribute to one of their most beloved experts following his death.
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Henry Sandon, known as the resident porcelain expert, was a regular on the show, and Fiona Bruce remembered him during a unique montage of his best moments following the latest episode of the programme on Sunday.
Antiques Roadshow is available on BBC iPlayer.
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