1967 Sorlier Lithograph After Chagall
APPRAISER:
It is and it's not by Chagall. And you're probably wondering how that can be at the same time.
GUEST:
(laughs) I wonder.
APPRAISER:
First of all, you can see that it's signed down here, and that is Chagall's signature, in pencil, okay? And what happened is, Chagall made a watercolor, of this subject, which was then copied in a color lithograph by this fellow down here, Charles Sorlier.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
So the actual printmaker of this image, who made this, is a fellow named Charles Sorlier, after a design by Marc Chagall. Chagall would have worked with the printmaker, Sorlier, to produce the print, authorizing the colors, as he intended it to look, and then when he was done with it, working with Sorlier, and approved the image, he would sign it. And it was issued in an edition, as you see down here, of 150. Yours is pencil number 22 of 150. So it's an original color lithograph that Chagall worked on, but he didn't actually make.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
Okay?
GUEST:
My goodness.
APPRAISER:
Now, he made a series of 12 of these. This is one of 12 that he made. It's from a series called "Nice and the Cote D'Azur," All scenes illustrating the Bay of Angels in Nice. And you see there's some actual images of Nice here, and then Chagall's signature fanciful images here of carts being pulled by horses with flowers and two lovers down here. Chagall produced by himself, from his own hand, hundreds of prints. He was a printmaker as well as a painter. And one of the reasons why he worked with Sorlier to make a series like this of prints after his watercolors was to sort of extend his output. He could produce more prints and have more of a commercial output.
GUEST:
My goodness.
APPRAISER:
The entire series of 12 lithographs was produced in 1967. Now, you said you bought this at an antique store?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And you spent several hundred dollars?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Each print from the series now sells for about $10,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So your $300 investment has appreciated quite a bit. You did very well buying that.
GUEST:
My God, I'm glad I did.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
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.