Antiques Roadshow delivered a tear-jerker moment as an unsuspecting guest was stunned to discover her grandmother’s robe was a treasure trove, valued at thousands.
The emotional scene unfolded at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas where the US version of Antiques Roadshow via PBS revealed the true origins and worth of what was previously believed to be a Japanese garment, picked up for roughly $2,000 in the 1980s.
The woman shared how she obtained it: “From an acquaintance whose family had worked in the Japanese embassy and in Asia.
“My grandmother has been a prolific collector for the last 60 years but we realised as she’s getting older, the rest of the family doesn’t know about her collections.
“So I’ve taken it on myself to help catalogue all of her collection.”
However, the plot thickened when expert Lark Mason III shed light on the gown’s real heritage, declaring: “It’s not from Japan. It’s actually Chinese”, prompting laughter from the guest: “Ok, I had no idea.”
Antiques Roadshow guest in tears as she shares ‘honourable’ mission as ‘beautiful’ robe valued at thousands (Image: BBC)
An Antiques Roadshow guest brought in her grandmother’s Chinese robe, initially believing that it was Japanese. (Image: BBC)
He pinpointed the purple hue as a clue to its vintage status, identifying it specifically as a piece from the Guangxu period around the 1880s.
Mason elaborated on its intended use: “This was a woman’s surcoat for formal and semi-formal occasions.
“Formal at home for domestic occasions, semi-formal for court uses.”
The surprised visitor responded thoughtfully: “That’s amazing, because it’s so fine, I wouldn’t think it’d be casual.”
Mason delved into the details of a stunning piece, explaining: “If you look at the sleeves, they are incredibly wide and that is to account for another article of clothing being worn beneath it with long sleeves.
“It’s silk. It has a wonderful feel. It’s not a satin but here, the embroidery is satin.
“This has some couched, gilt metal wrapped thread. The cranes up here, they have multiple meanings. They are one, primarily, a symbol of imperial authority. Cranes were a symbol of good luck and heavenly acceptance of whatever you had going on.
“They also are symbols of longevity. I think this was something likely created perhaps for somebody’s birthday. The wife of a prince.”
Antiques Roadshow expert Lark Mason III was on hand to appraise a Chinese robe. (Image: BBC)
He highlighted the “wonderful roundels” adorned with eight Daoist symbols and bats representing wealth.
“Looking at the collar, you can see that there’s some wear, well, that’s good. It means that this was actually used,” he noted.
“But there’s not so much wear that it is going to damage the value. What do you think it’s worth?”
The owner tentatively guessed: “Could we say…$5,000?”, to which Mason excitedly responded: “You are right on the money!”
She was surprised: “No way! Really?”, and he confirmed: “Yes! At auction today, this would sell for somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000.”
“Oh wow! OK. So I guess I have my grandmother’s eye for things. But that’s wonderful,” she remarked.
Mason further added that for insurance purposes, the item could be valued between $12,000 and $18,000.
The guest became visibly emotional as she reminisced about her grandmother’s treasured artwork, saying: “Wow. Growing up, we would just play around beautiful pieces of artwork, carefully, but yeah it was always displayed in her home very beautifully.
“It’s an honour to be able to do this for her.”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on One and iPlayer.