GUEST: They were purchased by my parents in the late '60s. And the artist is Mathias Alten, and he's a local Grand Rapids artist.
APPRAISER: I learned of this painter only yesterday.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: Because I was fortunate enough to go to the new Grand Rapids Art Museum yesterday.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: And there's quite a representation of his work there.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: He's a very interesting artist. Born in Germany and emigrated to Grand Rapids with his family when he was a teenager. And he ultimately evolved this kind of very impressionistic, heavy, impasto style. He particularly liked to paint landscapes. This is a lovely example of his work. And the palette's very beautiful. Uh, this picture is slightly different. It does have a softer...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...more pastoral kind of quality about it. I would say at an auction where they were advertised locally, I think an estimate on this picture might be between $15,000 and $20,000.
GUEST: Oh, you're kidding! Oh!
APPRAISER: Um, this one is very lovely. I think probably more like in the between $7,000 and $10,000 range.
GUEST: Oh, my gosh. It certainly made my day and then some.
APPRAISER: Oh, great. That's great.
