Enrico Fanfani Oil Painting, ca. 1860
GUEST:
The story that I've been told from my mom is that it was purchased by my grandfather at an auction. He came over from Croatia and eventually made his way to San Francisco, and he used to love to attend auctions. This is one of the things he brought home one day.
APPRAISER:
When, approximately, would he have acquired this?
GUEST:
He died in 1926, and I think he probably came to the United States maybe about 1910 or so, so somewhere between that period. What I've been told about the painting, it's by an Italian artist, and it comes from the 1800s. The subject is Abraham's slave girl Hagar, and this is her son Ishmael. This is when they were banished off into the desert. When I was growing up, it hung over the fireplace mantel in the house.
APPRAISER:
Well, the painting is an oil on canvas painted approximately 1860-61. This was a particularly significant subject of the time. Pictured here is Hagar, who was the slave or servant of Sarah, who was married to Abraham. And when Sarah was unable to bear a child, Sarah generously offered her slave to Abraham so that they might have a progeny, which they did in Ishmael. Unfortunately, a year later, surprise, surprise, Sarah bears a son, Isaac. So Sarah then insists that since they had Isaac, that Ishmael and Hagar be banned into the wilderness of the desert, which is what you see here. We have, pictured in the background outside the tent, you have Abraham and Sarah with their son Isaac, watching Hagar headed off into the desert with a jug of water and a loaf of bread. It was a really popular subject of the time for a variety of reasons. Napoleon had discovered Egypt and ransacked what he could of it, and then English painters were traveling around the Holy Land and painting the ruins there, and these biblical subjects were very important. Enrico Fanfani was a Florentine, probably trained there. As is indicated on the back, received a medal of honor from 1861. It's had a little problem, as you know. Don't know who put the hole in it.
GUEST:
I have no clue. I think it's been there ever since I can remember.
APPRAISER:
Well, there is a small hole in the painting, and it's got a lot of grime and discoloration of varnish over the years, but this is going to clean up quite nicely and that hole can be easily repaired. The frame is a reproduction frame from probably about 1920 with faux gold patina on it. If this were to go to auction in its present condition, I think it probably would sell for in the neighborhood of $8,000 to $12,000.
GUEST:
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.