Antiques Roadshow: Heirloom revealed as a Joseph Bernard lost wax casting
An Antiques Roadshow expert admitted that he broke a gorgeous ceramic ornament that set him back £2,500.
During filming at Firstsite in Colchester, expert Will Farmer welcomed an excited guest onto the BBC show who had brought in their family heirloom.
The gorgeous figurine was made back in the height of the 1920s and based off of a famous German dancer. But the beautiful figure brought back painful memories for the expert as he appraised the valuable item.
He began: “What an amazing ceramic figurine. An absolute piece of classic Art Deco design. If we just tip her over underneath, we’ve got Goldscheider, made in Austria. On the back is another signature which says Lorenzl.
"So, that is for the great sculptor Joself Lorenzl. A third party that brings this whole thing together is an incredibly famous dancer of the period called Niddy Impekoven.
“She became so famous for her wonderful dances to classical music and Niddy Impekoven is actually photographed in the 1920s in a gown like this, with her arms out.”
It was at this point that he revealed how he used to have his own model by the sculptor but suffered an unfortunate accident. He recalled: “I used to have one of these, you know.
"I dropped mine. I dropped it on the floor and obliterated it into many hundreds of pieces.” The guest couldn’t help but recoil with shock as she mumbled: “Oh no” before he continued on with his heartbreaking story.
Well went on: “So, whenever I see these, I always have a little, just a little moment because I know how much mine was worth when I dropped it.”
After sharing his heartache, he went on to reveal the staggering four-figure valuation for the precious find. He explained: “I know how much yours is worth now, you’re looking between £2,000 and £2,500 to replace that.”
Will finished his appraisal with a warning, insisting that the guest dosn’t follow in his clumsy footsteps.
He gushed: “She's wonderful, just don’t do to yours what I did to mine and thank you so much for sharing your story and for me being able to share mine as well."
