1920s Arman T. Manookian Watercolor
GUEST:
A coworker of my husband was cleaning out her home about 20 years ago and said, "Would you like this box? You can have it for $20." And there was a number of other items in the box--
APPRAISER:
Really?
GUEST:
--and this was one of them.
APPRAISER:
This is not the smallest piece I've appraised on the ROADSHOW. But did you bring it in your back pocket?
GUEST:
Just about.
APPRAISER:
Did you have it reframed?
GUEST:
When we received it, it was cut this way already with this sort of cardboard matting.
APPRAISER:
It looks like a modern, acid-free matte, which is what you want for something like this. Do you know what the subject is?
GUEST:
Well, it looks like a Hawaiian king, because those are the capes they wore.
APPRAISER:
And the artist?
GUEST:
His name is Manookian. And I know that he was from Armenia,
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
that he lived in Hawaii in the '20s, and that he committed suicide in about 1931, I think, when he was about 30.
APPRAISER:
That's absolutely right-- this fellow's name is Arman Tateos Manookian. You can see it's signed down here. And he was an Armenian artist. He was born in Armenia in 1904 and survived the Armenian genocide of 1915 and then moved to France and eventually to the United States. He joined the military, and ended up here in Hawaii. He was known for doing illustrations and also murals. And, um, this may have been a study for a larger mural. Here we have a king, possibly Kamehameha. It looks much like his statue out in front of the palace out there. Very bright colors.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Very much a modernist sort of look, which is very popular these days. This is watercolor and gouache, which is a type of watercolor on paper. Have you had it appraised at all?
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
Well, there are no real auction records for this artist. There are very few things out in private hands. One of the things about value is limiting factors-- something that's rare, something that's in good condition, something that's not seen that often. So all these limiting factors make these things more valuable. And this thing is sort of the perfect storm of limiting factors. First of all, you have the fact that he's an illustrator and muralist. So there aren't as many freestanding easel paintings or works such as that. And also, the studies often disappear. He was only here for six years before he committed suicide at the age of 27--
GUEST:
Oh, 27.
APPRAISER:
--so there's not a big body of work for him. I consulted with a colleague who's from Hawaii, and he said this is a very important work. And probably in a gallery today, you would expect to pay about $5,000 for something like this.
GUEST:
No way.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. It's a good piece of Hawaiian history, and a good piece of Hawaiian art, as well.
GUEST:
Oh. I'm very surprised. 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.
