GUEST: So I brought this painting that's been hanging in my house for as long as I can remember. I think around 15 years ago, my folks purchased it from an antique shop that, that, from what I understand, it no longer exists. They gave it to me around-- me and my sister-- around ten years ago.
APPRAISER: I can't believe you brought it in here. It's so, it's such a really big painting.
(both laughing)
GUEST: Yep.
APPRAISER: This is an oil on canvas by André Servant. It is signed lower right, on the checkered floor. This is a painting depicting the death of King Henry IV, who was known as the Good King, or Henry the Great. He was a celebrated figure in French history. This represents him on his deathbed after a final assassination attempt which did work. There were multiple assassination attempts on his life. He r, uh, ruled from about 1590 to 1610, and in 1610, he was, uh, he was stabbed and then finally fatally succumbed to his injuries.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: The painting is painted in the style of Neoclassicism. Generally, Neoclassicism started in the late 18th century and led into about 1830, but it, it did go farther into the 19th century. It was supplanted by Romanticism. But even here, we, there's a lot of emotion in this painting. And the things that make it typical of a Neoclassical painting are this kind of limited palette. There was also strong horizontals and verticals, and a lot of the subject matter was historical. The artist lived from 1842 to 1883. We don't know exactly when it was painted, but sometime during that period, probably after 1850. Have you ever had it appraised?
GUEST: No, I have not. We sort of had this thing where, if we ever came on the ROADSHOW, we would bring this painting. This was our ROADSHOW painting.
APPRAISER: The artist has limited auction records.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So he's not one of the most famous Neoclassical artists. But the auction records that do exist, some of them are for his Orientalist works, which were works of the Middle East. The high auction record is about $10,000, but for a work which was, uh, much smaller than this, about 15 by 18 inches. And even though Neoclassical painting isn't today as popular, for example, as contemporary painting...
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: ...there are still collectors. I would easily put an auction estimate on this painting of $20,000 to $30,000.
GUEST: Wow. (laughs) That's amazing. That's unbelievable. I wouldn't have ever guessed that.
APPRAISER: I Would insure it for at least $40,000.
GUEST: Yep, okay. I will probably do that. (laughs)
