Two sisters who appeared on to have a family heirloom valued were left speechless as they learned its real value.
The two sisters brought a huge bronze statue of Napoleon to be valued at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich after it sat in their home for an incredible 120 years. The statue – a tiny figure of Napoleon perched atop a huge plinth – had been used as a decoration for years, when the sisters would string fairy lights around it.
But expert John Foster left them stunned as he unearthed its real value, suggesting their family might actually have ties to the military leader.
The statue was made out of captured cannon from the Battle of Waterloo, and was yanked down when Napoleon fell out of favour.
John explained: “Purely on size and scale, I don’t think this is something you would buy on your grand tour, or your trip to that area. This is, for me, more important than that.”
One Antiques Roadshow duo were left speechless (Image: BBC)
He added: “It’s someone who’s been involved in the restoration of the column. I think this is presentation piece to someone of note, someone who was involved in some way, and that’s something that makes it more special. It’s a real statement piece, and it is a tricky one to value.”
That said, John said the statue would “easily” fetch £20,000 to £30,000.
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The Napoleon statue was used as a Christmas decoration (Image: BBC)
One sister gushed: “I was pretty impressed. He’s just been sat in the corner of the dining room for the past 120 years. He really is a family heirloom, and as such, I think we need to look after him.”
John confessed he was “very jealous” of the “monumental” item, which was modelled on the Trajan Victory Column in Rome. He joked: “Keep wrapping those fairy lights around it!”