Robert M. Joy Whaling Folk Painting
GUEST:
Well, it's a painting of a whaling scene. The inscription on the back said this painting was done by Uncle Robert Joy.
APPRAISER:
Yes.
GUEST:
So with that information, I did some research and found that a Nantucket whaling captain named Robert M. Joy sailed out of New Bedford on a ship called The Charles, and had a very successful voyage. He went to the coast of Brazil and in a matter of seven months was able to fill 2,000 barrels, which is an amazingly short period of time.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, and was this part of a whaling journal, or some kind of record that was kept on the ship itself?
GUEST:
Well, it hasn't been folded, and we don't believe that it was part of a whaling journal.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
I think it was probably done so that the Robert Joy could have a picture of the ship that was a great success on the wall of his home in Nantucket.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, so it was kind of a memento of this. The thing that I find so exciting about this piece is the documentation that this provides us. Here's a whale ship in sort of full regalia. It is anatomically correct. The person who did this watercolor was not a professional artist in the sense of a Rembrandt or a Winslow Homer, but all of the riggings and all of the presentation elements of this ship are correct, and it really is kind of taking us through the whole process of the capture of whales and the trying out, the unpeeling of this blanket of blubber being hauled up on blocks. And then the chopping of those pieces of whale blubber into what are called books--
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
--and the actual cooking or rendering of that blubber into whale oil.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
The whole scene of another whale kind of in line, waiting to go into this process, the men in longboats pursuing another whale...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...other ships in the background, another longboat back here. So it's a piece of art, it's a piece of history, and it really presents a story and a document about the whaling industry, which was one of the most important industries in America, where every lamp in that period of time was lit with whale oil.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
I know that you paid something in the vicinity of--
GUEST:
$8,500.
APPRAISER:
--$8,500 and it's probably worth maybe something in the vicinity of $12,000 to $18,000 at auction. I'm delighted that you brought it in.
GUEST:
Thank you.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.