has named one of the most astonishing discoveries in history as one of her show highlights but warned that it would “never happen again” in her lifetime. The memorable moment happened in 2013 when Fiona chanced upon an authentic work by the famous artist Anthony van Dyck, dating back to the 17th century.
The presenter had been working on a separate programme about the life and works of the Belgian painter when a particular detail on an unsuspecting Antiques Roadshow piece caught her eye. This led to an exhaustive validation process which revealed that Father Jamie MacLeod had bought the van Dyck painting for a mere £400 from an antique shop in 1992, oblivious to its profound historical significance.
:
Fiona Bruce admits Antiques Roadshow shock will ‘never happen again in my lifetime’. (Image: BBC)
Recalling her favourite moments from her time on the show, the presenter told the : “My personal favourite would probably have to be when a man of the cloth turned up with a painting, which he thought might be a Van Dyck.
“I looked at it – and I was making a programme about Van Dyck at the time – and I thought it had the look of the genuine article. And so we had it examined and my hunch turned out to be right. It has been proven to be the case and it is now being exhibited as a Van Dyck.
“I can’t imagine that will ever happen to me again in my lifetime and it’s definitely a highlight for me. “
The painting depicted a Renaissance nobleman, complete with a white ruff and meticulously trimmed beard.
Don’t miss… [NEWS]
Fiona Bruce noticed a striking detail about the painting. (Image: BBC)
Fiona recognised a subtle yet distinct feature which led her to believe it could be Van Dyck’s work. She shared: “When I saw this something about the eyes and the way you can see the bone under the nose here it just looked similar to the kind of paintings I’d been looking at, so I thought, ‘Who knows, it could be?'”
‘s art expert Phillip Mould shared his views, hinting at an exciting discovery: “It’s as off-piste as you get but if this is to be by Van Dyck there’s only one way of finding out.”
The Derbyshire vicar was over the moon as he agreed to a thorough three-month procedure to restore and authenticate the painting, which led to the uncovering of 17th Century brushstrokes beneath the top coats.
Following a detailed and careful operation, where overpaint was gently wiped away using a cotton swab and solvent, the artwork underwent “quite the transformation”.
The painting was confirmed to be a genuine Van Dyck. (Image: BBC)
With its genuineness verified by esteemed Van Dyck scholar Dr Christopher Brown, the painting’s origins were no longer in doubt.
Father MacLeod was overwhelmed and in disbelief, exclaiming “I’m just completely in shock” once he found out that his £400 acquisition was now estimated to be worth an eye-watering £400,000.
However, the story took a sad turn when the painting was put up for auction at Christie’s in July 2014.
A specialist from the auction house suggested it might fetch an eye-watering £500,000. Yet, despite the high hopes, the event concluded in dismay as the Van Dyck work failed to draw even a single bid.