Le Pho Oil on Silk, ca. 1950
GUEST:
All I know is that my grandparents bought it about 1959. I think they bought it maybe in New York City. They traveled a lot. It was a big deal. They paid a lot of money for it, supposedly. I don't know how much. They had a party to show it off to their friends. And then when they passed away, it went to my aunt. She had it appraised sometime, maybe ten, 15 years ago, and was either told that it was a fake or it wasn't worth anything. And so then my dad had it, and then he gave it to me.
APPRAISER:
The painting is by the Vietnamese artist Le Pho. And we can see his signature and chop, lower right. What's interesting about him is that he was born in 1907 in Hanoi, but had a very cosmopolitan life and education. He first studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Hanoi, and then later at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he became friends with Matisse, which is interesting when you look at the painting.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
While he was cosmopolitan, he never gave up an Asian sensibility of flowers and delicate interiors and beautiful washes of color. So his style really was a combination of Asian stylings and Western... almost post-Impressionism. So it's a beautiful style. His subject matter is exactly what we have here, is beautiful, elegant women in an interior with the beautiful floral still lifes. What's interesting to me about the idea that it wasn't right is perhaps the medium of the piece, because a lot of Le Pho's later pieces were oil on canvas. His early ones, of which I believe this to be an example, were painted on silk.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
Yes, which is in itself a very Asian medium. So I think probably the confusion that arose from the piece was that it wasn't on the expected medium.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Because to my eye and opinion, I believe the painting to be by the artist. The piece was acquired in 1959, and my sense is that it was probably painted circa that era.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
In terms of his market, in the '40s, '50s and '60s, there wasn't a great demand for his work. They were selling for a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. With the Asian economy exploding as it has, his work has also become more popular.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So it's a very interesting combination of Asian art, Western art, and a burgeoning market. Given that, I would be estimating the painting at between $25,000 and $30,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Thanks, Dad.
APPRAISER:
Thanks, Dad.
GUEST:
Thanks, Dad.
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.