Mid-19th Century Chinese Export Painting of Canton
GUEST:
This painting was given to my father from my great-uncle. My great-uncle was a missionary in China from 1922 into the '50s.
APPRAISER:
When do you think he bought the painting?
GUEST:
You know, I'm not really sure. It had to have been probably before 1937, I would think.
APPRAISER:
Okay. To begin with, I think you know it's Chinese.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And it's what we call an export painting.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
Most export paintings display some physical characteristic that identifies where it is. And the three major port cities in China were Canton, which today is called Guangzhou...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
...Hong Kong, and Shanghai. This, I believe, is Canton. On most views of Canton, what you see right here in the center are trading centers, which they call hongs, that will fly flags indicating the country, the nationality of the trading that took place. In this picture, there are no flags in the center. However, if you look on the far right, what you see here is a French flag. And you see a series of Western trading ships. In addition, if you move back over this way, you see this sort of brown structure?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
This is one of two Western-built defensive forts. Okay.
This is not the original frame. And if you look right around the edge, you see this sort of line? That's because this picture was originally in a smaller frame...
GUEST:
Really?
APPRIASER: …and that frame would have been black lacquered with gold trim around the edge. We know it dates, from the presence of the flag on the far right and the general handling of the paint, to sometime around the mid-19th century.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
There's a whole host of different studios that painted these for Westerners who were stationed in these trading centers.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
They would be there from one to three years. And they didn't bring photographs back; they brought back paintings to show their family and friends as mementos of where they were. Any ideas on what the value is? I know you had it appraised.
GUEST:
Yes. My father actually had it cleaned back in 1978. And at that time, he had it insured for $4,500.
APPRAISER:
$4,500. Well, I think at auction, you could expect to get somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000 for this picture.
GUEST:
Wow, that's pretty amazing.
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.