0:00:04 > 0:00:08Today, we've brought our team of experts to the heart of rural England,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12just down the river from Shakespeare's home town of Stratford-upon-Avon.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13This is Charlecote Park,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17a perfect backdrop for this Roadshow special,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19as the BBC celebrates Shakespeare.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24But did England's greatest playwright
0:00:24 > 0:00:26ever visit these grounds, with their beautiful deer?
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Well, apparently he did - but not by invitation.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from Warwickshire.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Many distinguished visitors have been welcomed
0:01:17 > 0:01:21here at Charlecote Park, including Elizabeth I.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25But a visit by Shakespeare in the 1580s was rather less auspicious.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29The story goes that he was caught red-handed poaching deer
0:01:29 > 0:01:32belonging to the local landowner, Sir Thomas Lucy.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Herds of fallow deer still graze on land which has been
0:01:38 > 0:01:43the seat of the Lucy family since at least the 12th century.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And while Shakespeare was living down river,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Sir Thomas was building one of the first great Elizabethan houses of the age.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The turrets and gatehouse and heraldic stained glass
0:01:55 > 0:01:59all proclaimed his pride in his ancient lineage.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04It was in this Great Hall that Sir Thomas was knighted
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and where he proudly greeted Queen Elizabeth in 1572
0:02:07 > 0:02:08when she visited Charlecote.
0:02:08 > 0:02:1111 years later, in this same room,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Shakespeare was brought before Sir Thomas -
0:02:14 > 0:02:18then a resident magistrate - to answer for his poaching crime.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Although there's no official record of what happened,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26it's likely he was fined, possibly flogged,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and threatened with banishment.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32And it wasn't long afterwards that Shakespeare left Warwickshire
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and headed for London to seek his fortune.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36And the rest is history.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41But years later, he took his revenge
0:02:41 > 0:02:45by portraying Sir Thomas as the pompous buffoon Justice Shallow
0:02:45 > 0:02:47in The Merry Wives Of Windsor.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Shallow says to Falstaff, "Knight, you have beaten my men,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54"killed my deer and broke open my lodge,"
0:02:54 > 0:02:57just as Shakespeare had been accused of doing.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01He pokes fun at Shallow's pride in his ancestors
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and in his coat of arms - three pikes,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05the same as the arms of the Lucy family.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Despite their shaky start, the Lucy family and Shakespeare
0:03:10 > 0:03:15enjoyed a close connection down the years, with descendants of Sir Thomas
0:03:15 > 0:03:19happily retelling the story of the poaching incident ever since.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20Did it really happen?
0:03:20 > 0:03:22You'll have to make your own minds up.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Shortly, some of our experts will reveal their favourite objects
0:03:30 > 0:03:32from the era of Elizabethan England.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37But let's get our own bit of theatre under way
0:03:37 > 0:03:40with the Antiques Roadshow.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41This vibrant watercolour
0:03:41 > 0:03:44by the great Victorian painter Robert Walker Macbeth
0:03:44 > 0:03:45is titled A Fen Flood
0:03:45 > 0:03:49and reminds me of all the great floods perhaps two years ago
0:03:49 > 0:03:54where people were desperately trying to get out of their lovely village houses,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56getting away from all the water.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59But, of course, it's painted in about 1880,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01so it's over 130 years ago.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Tell me a little bit about the painting, some history.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09It belonged to an aunt and I was given it a couple of years ago
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and I just always remember it being on her wall,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and over the years the lady that you see here
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- I used to find quite sinister, actually, as a child.- Yes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21And it was only as I got older
0:04:21 > 0:04:24that I've kind of really appreciated the picture.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28But I used to spend many sort of Sunday tea-times sitting on the sofa
0:04:28 > 0:04:29and actually looking up at it,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32because it's got so much depth and vibrancy to it,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34you see something new every time you look at it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Well, it's very illustrative
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and it's lovely that it's lived with the family for so long,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- and you now have it. - Yes, yes.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Erm, do you know much about Robert Walker Macbeth?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I know that he was a Royal Academician,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49sort of late-19th century, but I don't really know any more.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53He was a Scottish watercolourist as well.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55That's right, so he was born in Scotland,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58but he's not really that well known as a Scottish artist.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01He, really, was better known as a London painter,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04but one of the great watercolourists of his time.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07But also a fabulous oil painter too, and he was really known
0:05:07 > 0:05:10as one of the sort of fabulous ruralist painters.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Whereas a lot of artists painted great industrial scenes,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16he was out there painting the beautiful countryside
0:05:16 > 0:05:18that we still see on a lovely summer's day.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20This is very vibrant and crisp in colour
0:05:20 > 0:05:22and it's a great example of his work.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25And of course you can see the ferry on the left-hand side,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29who's about to come and pick them up and I'm sure you can almost sense
0:05:29 > 0:05:33he anxiety on their faces, that they want to get away from the floods.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Yes, the two children just there, definitely, clinging onto...
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- I assume it's their mother. - Yes, absolutely.- Yes.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Now, he exhibited so many pictures, he was a busy artist,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44he exhibited over 120 pictures at the Royal Academy,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48became very, very wealthy, he had a house in Carlton Hill in London.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53But also in about 1880, 1870-1880, he moves to Lincolnshire,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55where this is probably painted.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58And paintings were done on a vast scale,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02so this is probably a watercolour study for a great oil painting.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Right.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- So we come to value.- Yes.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Like I say, this is an artist I certainly admire - I have a little print at home,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13but an original watercolour is very rare to see.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16This is certainly going to be worth £3,000 to £5,000.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Excellent. Oh, fantastic.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Yes, we'll have to make sure that it has pride of place now,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25and make sure we have a big enough hook on the wall to hang it up, so thank you very much.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27It's a great pleasure.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Well, a slightly odd question, but I have to ask you -
0:06:32 > 0:06:34have you ever gone picking mushrooms?
0:06:34 > 0:06:36No, no, I haven't.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Then I have to ask you, what made you pick this?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Well, it was part of my nan's estate when she passed away,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44my mother gave us the option of choosing an item from that estate,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and I chose the vase simply because it's very pretty
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and it reminds me of my nan every time I look at it.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Really? So was there any discussions about it at the time, who, what, why, or...
0:06:55 > 0:06:56No, nothing whatsoever,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58it was just literally a case of looking round the house
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and seeing which took our fancy, really.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Well, I think to those looking,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05it will come as no great surprise that what we're holding,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08or what I'm holding, is a fantastic piece of work
0:07:08 > 0:07:10by none other than William Moorcroft,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and it's obviously, through the tube lining
0:07:12 > 0:07:16and through the decoration and through the form and everything,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19just sings about what he's doing, and what he does so well.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22But this is for me slightly more than just that,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24it's just that little bit more special,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27because it's a combination of factors -
0:07:27 > 0:07:29its pattern, its colour, and actually, underneath,
0:07:29 > 0:07:34we've got a fantastic mark there which says, "Made for Liberty & Co.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37"W. Moorcroft Design."
0:07:37 > 0:07:40And what we're looking at really is a combination of all these
0:07:40 > 0:07:43that pull together to a really good example of Moorcroft's work.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48The pattern is actually called Claremont, but one step
0:07:48 > 0:07:51further than that, it's actually celadon Claremont,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53which dates from sort of 1915-1920 sort of period,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56it's that latter part of that era.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It's a very distinctive colourway
0:07:58 > 0:08:01that was manufactured specifically for Liberty.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05So all of this adds up to something really quite special.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- And where does it live in the home? - It sits on a bureau,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10in a rather modern-decorated house
0:08:10 > 0:08:12and it just goes really well.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14And do you know, where did Gran acquire it?
0:08:14 > 0:08:18She was passed it by her sister when she passed away,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and, actually, she never actually liked it,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23but it was just something that she kept obviously
0:08:23 > 0:08:25to remind her of her sister as well.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Well, I don't suppose mushrooms and fungi and all that kind of thing are everybody's cup of tea,
0:08:29 > 0:08:35but I tell you what though, it is actually the cup of tea for quite a few people,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40and that brings me to the point of this, which is, if we were to go and replace it, where would we be?
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Well, you're going to have to go out
0:08:43 > 0:08:47with at least the best part of £4,000 in your pocket.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Right. OK, thank you very much. That's very very nice to know.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- Hopefully it will remind you of this day as well, it's been a real treat to see. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It almost seems a shame that, looking at this clock
0:09:04 > 0:09:06in this magnificent sunlight today,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and the gilt ormolu glinting off the sun, it seems a shame
0:09:10 > 0:09:14that it spends most of its life sitting on a mantelpiece
0:09:14 > 0:09:15or on a sideboard.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- Or in a cupboard.- Or in a cupboard?
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Yes. - That's a disgrace! That's dreadful!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Are you a fan of it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Because I know an awful lot of people that just simply think it's too brash.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26I love it, my wife doesn't,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29that's why it gets in the cupboard I think, yes.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- That's dreadful. Are you into flash cars as well?- Yes.- Are you?- Yes.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Do you know, I thought so. What do you know about it?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38My parents bought it in the '70s,
0:09:38 > 0:09:43paid about £400 for it, so it's a family heirloom.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46And do you remember where it sat in the house?
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- It used to sit on a chest in the house, prime place.- Prime place.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- Yes, yes it was.- Pride and joy? - It was, yes.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56You can just imagine their pride and joy. What do you know of him?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- I believe he's Archimedes and that's his bath.- Yes.- I guess.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- And this interesting plaque down the bottom? - I don't know anything about that.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07So I can tell you something about it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11- Yes you can, yes, yeah.- At least, I can say something about it.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Archimedes - mathematician, astronomer,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16scientist extraordinaire, and this scene here is,
0:10:16 > 0:10:21he's sitting at his desk in Syracuse as the Romans invade
0:10:21 > 0:10:26and Cicero has specifically said to the centurions,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29"Do not harm Archimedes."
0:10:29 > 0:10:34- And one Roman ran in and immediately executed him, sitting at his table. - Oh, right.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Or at least that's how the mythology goes.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40And with it, one of the greatest minds of all time.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48This is a clock that is absolutely typical of the Empire period
0:10:48 > 0:10:50from about 1820.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The peak of the French glitz,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and it was highly desirable both in France and in England.
0:10:59 > 0:11:05And, stylistically, you have this bold foliate moulding
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and bold anthemion feet
0:11:07 > 0:11:11and a similar design all the way round the pedestal case
0:11:11 > 0:11:13- with a white enamel dial.- Yeah.
0:11:13 > 0:11:14And Roman and Arabic numerals,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and the signature in the centre -
0:11:16 > 0:11:20"Ledure, Bronzier A' Paris" - this is him, this is the bronzier -
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- because the most important part of this clock is the bronze.- Sure.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28And the marble and the effect that it's giving, not the clockmaker.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31A French-made clock, obviously,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35and the movement is of no particular note.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37What we're looking at here
0:11:37 > 0:11:39is a wonderful, wonderful piece of sculpture,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42magnificent in anyone's drawing room.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43Overpowering to most people, I suspect,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and my wife wouldn't have it in the house, I can tell you that,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49but I would love to own it myself.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51But now we have to talk about its value.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55At auction, it's got to be worth between £4,000 and £6,000.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57That's great, it's slightly more than I thought,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59but, yeah, nice to know the value.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Fantastic.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03This plain little volume
0:12:03 > 0:12:06contains something of Charlecote interest I do believe.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10It does, it does. It's a lovely little strip cartoon.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Now, if we open it up, we can have a little look at what we've got here.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Yes.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17We can see that it tells a tale.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23And it tells a tale of Shakespeare's exploits here at Charlecote.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27If we take this panel in particular, we have the young Shakespeare
0:12:27 > 0:12:33with his crossbow shooting the deer on Lord Lucy's land at Charlecote.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Now this is a Shakespeare legend, is it not?
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It's one of the very earliest legends relating to Shakespeare's life.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42And there is some evidence that it may actually be true
0:12:42 > 0:12:46because it comes from several different accounts in the 18th century.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48- Right.- So it may just be true.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Well, this item - this panorama - was published mid-19th century,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54round about the 1850 mark,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57so we can go back that far, as far as the legend is concerned.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- Yeah. - Let's have a closer look at it, and try and work out the wording,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- which is sort of Victorian-Elizabethan speak, isn't it?- Yes.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I'll do my best.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Then it goes on, "Hys apprehension, therefore..."
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- But he gets his own back, doesn't he, Shakespeare?- Yes. - Before he gets cast off the land,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33he writes a little ditty on the gates of Charlecote.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35"Hys Disgust thereat, and no less wayward revenge..."
0:13:39 > 0:13:42"..of my Lord Lucy an Epistle
0:13:42 > 0:13:44"the which is not complimentary."
0:13:44 > 0:13:47It's a lovely little strip cartoon, isn't it?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50You own this item?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- Yes, this is part of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust's library.- Ah.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57And we bought it about 12 years ago as a complete mystery item.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00We didn't know what it was, who made it, when it was made,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03but we just loved it because it's such a lovely little item.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Little item. Well it's typical of the period, it's, as I say,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10mid-Victorian, mid-19th century, bit of publishing nonsense really.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14It's a panorama that goes some four or five feet in length,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- it has no publishing details on it at all.- No.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Not an artist, not a publisher, not a date.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22But if we go back to the front cover,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24if we can fold it up very carefully...
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- That one goes there, if we go back to the front cover.- Mm.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- You see round the edges, this is fading.- Yes.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36I think that would have had a complete printed label on it,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40I think that would have told us everything about the item we need to know.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- Mm.- But it's, as I say, fairly typical, I've seen this sort of thing before.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48- Value's not great, £150-£200 in auction perhaps, something like that.- Yes, yes.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51But it's a real delight to see it today in the place of reference, really.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- Yes. Thank you. - Thanks for coming along today.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Thank you very much.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Confirmation, then, of some truth to our opening story.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05We thought it fitting, on the outskirts of Stratford,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09to ask some of our team to select a favourite object from Shakespearean days.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13We can always rely on jewellery man Geoffrey Munn to find something.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Well, sometimes on the Antiques Roadshow, I say that I'm raising ghosts
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and by bringing this little object today, I think it is a ghost.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28And I've chosen something that I think is enormously evocative of Shakespearean England.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32It's not only a memento mori, but it's also a pomander,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34it's to be loaded with scent.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36It's there as a talisman against the plague
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and it was normal for people to carry these around
0:15:39 > 0:15:41as the only protection they had
0:15:41 > 0:15:45from the most terrifying spectacle of death.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48William Shakespeare's period was absolutely dogged by plague
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and in 1608, there was this simply terrible plague
0:15:51 > 0:15:55ripping through London, and people left in fear of their lives.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57It's a tiny box,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01if you like, you open it up and it reveals four compartments
0:16:01 > 0:16:06which are labelled on the other side with initials. We can only guess what those initials mean.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Having bought them from the alchemist,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11you put little waxy pellets into there
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and it's like a cocktail of magic, really.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Inside here would be a sponge soaked in rose-water
0:16:18 > 0:16:21and the scent would come through the front.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24When you held it to your nose, like this,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27you would not only have a way of covering unpleasant odours
0:16:27 > 0:16:29associated with disease,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32but you'd have a reminder of the fact that you were alive.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Death is everywhere in his dramas,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38there are 15 mentions of skulls
0:16:38 > 0:16:40that he uses to bring out the plot
0:16:40 > 0:16:42in some of his most famous tragedies.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45In a sense, it says everything about the human condition,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47it says everything about William Shakespeare too,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51who brilliantly articulated where we are in life in The Tempest
0:16:51 > 0:16:56when he said that, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59"and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Our very own poet, Geoffrey Munn,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04with a spooky reminder from Shakespeare's England.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08More Elizabethan remnants later, but back now to the Roadshow.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Well, this is a great moment for me, actually holding an Olympic torch.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16How did it come into your possession?
0:17:16 > 0:17:17It came into my possession
0:17:17 > 0:17:21because my father carried it from Bletchley to Dorking in 1948.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26- So, for the London Olympics. - For the London Olympics. I was five years old at the side of the road.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- Do you remember it? - Not very well, no.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Just vaguely, but I've seen this all my life in my father's house
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and then, eventually, it came to me.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Well, if we look at it, it says,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41- "XIV Olympiad 1948, Olympia, with thanks to the bearer."- Yes.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44So he must have been a very good athlete.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48He was a very good athlete, he was a Surrey quarter-mile champion.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Here he is, holding the torch just before it was lit
0:17:51 > 0:17:54and obviously we treasure this photograph very much indeed.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57So you should, and it's wonderful to have this Olympic torch here,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- and you have it on display at home? - We do have it at home, yes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Well, it's a wonderful piece of sporting memorabilia.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07There would be a number of keen collectors for a piece such as this
0:18:07 > 0:18:09and I think if it came up at auction,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14it would probably fetch somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I think we'd better take very, very great care of it.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21So you should, but hopefully it will stay in the family.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- It definitely will stay in the family.- Yes.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25And we have it, because we have two sons.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- Well, can I just dream for a moment longer?- Absolutely!
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Thank you very much for bringing it in, wonderful.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Absolutely.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42There's two things that get me excited
0:18:42 > 0:18:45when I see a piece of jewellery - if it has a fitted box,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and the other is when I see the person wearing beautiful jewels,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50so you obviously appreciate jewellery.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I love jewellery, yes, yes.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55And so can you tell me how you got this?
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Well I found it at an antiques fair, a little local one.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04It was in amongst a load of, you know, ordinary costume jewellery.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05- Costume jewellery.- Yes, yes.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07And how much was the ticket on it?
0:19:07 > 0:19:12I can't remember exactly, but it wouldn't have been very much,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15£2 or £3, less than a fiver.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Less than £5, and when was this?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Within the last year or so, yes.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21- Within the last year.- Yes, yes.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Well, fantastic. So what did you do, then?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Well, I didn't think it was anything very exciting
0:19:29 > 0:19:32until one day I put it on the side,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and I saw the sun catching the back.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- Right.- And I ...- Like today.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39Yes, like today,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- and I thought it might be something better.- OK.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46So I took it back to an antiques fair to ask a jeweller,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I told her the story and she said,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51"Would you like me to test it for you?
0:19:52 > 0:19:56"I've got a machine," so I said, "Oh, yes, please."
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- A machine to test what? - To test the diamonds.- OK, OK.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04And it went "ping" and then it went "ping" and she was getting...
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Is that what happens at these stone testings?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08- I must get one.- Musical diamonds.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Musical diamonds, yes.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17And everybody, you know, they were all agog
0:20:17 > 0:20:21because she said, you know, it was perhaps worth quite a bit.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24But I've come to you to tell me what the metal is
0:20:24 > 0:20:27and what period it is and all the information about it.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Excellent, right. Well, I mean to tell you all I can.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34It is 1905.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Really?
0:20:35 > 0:20:36It is platinum.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41- Ah, ah. - Ah, ah, now why did you go, "Ah?"
0:20:41 > 0:20:46Because they weren't sure what white metal it was.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Right, well, you see, white gold came out a lot later.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Ah, I didn't know that.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54And also, what is really indicative of this period
0:20:54 > 0:20:57is this millegrain setting, and if you look around -
0:20:57 > 0:21:02- and these are diamonds - the musical detector was right.- Yes, yes.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06They are all diamonds and you've got this millegrain setting
0:21:06 > 0:21:09around each of the stones, tiny little bobbles.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I'd noticed that, but I didn't know what it was.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- Ah, no, well that's very typical of the Edwardian period.- Oh.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Because platinum, you were able to pierce it all out and you could just get, you know,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- the diamonds look like they're suspended in lace. - Yes, that's right.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25You know, it's so delicate, because before then it was silver
0:21:25 > 0:21:30and it was quite heavy and chunky, and silver tarnished, and it was soft,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33whereas platinum is a much harder material
0:21:33 > 0:21:36and so they didn't need so much metal around to hold the diamonds.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38So that's why it's so light.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40That's why it's so light, because also the dresses were light.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- Yes.- The materials were lighter in the Edwardian period than in the end of the Victorian era.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And if I turn over here,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51what is lovely is that you've got these hexagonal settings
0:21:51 > 0:21:56and you can see that each one has been pierced out by hand in a hexagonal shape,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01and that is a sign of quality as well, and it's absolutely lovely.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03I think it's so stunning.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07So, I mean value, £2-£3?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Mm, less than a fiver.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Oh, less than a fiver.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17Well, I would like to say that you would probably, at auction,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19you're looking at around about £2,000.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Oh, dear.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Oh, dear?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- I shall be frightened to wear it, won't I? - I mean, it's absolutely beautiful
0:22:27 > 0:22:32and it's so quintessentially Edwardian period and it's lovely.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- Oh that's wonderful.- So do enjoy it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Thank you, thank you very much. - Thank you for coming.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44This has to be the ultimate in trench art.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46It's a model of a First World War tank,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51one of the very first tanks that served in the Somme in 1916,
0:22:51 > 0:22:52but why have you got it?
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Well, it was made by our grandfather -
0:22:55 > 0:22:57because we're sisters -
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and he made it while he was serving in the Royal Tank Corps
0:23:01 > 0:23:06in northern France and so that's how we came by it. Yes.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- So it was passed down to you from your grandfather?- Yes.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11And he served in one of these tanks,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13in a full-sized version of one of these?
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- Yes.- It's probably one of the best examples I've ever seen.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- Oh.- So I guess he must have been an engineer.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24Yes, he was an engineer, yes, he had to keep the tanks operating,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26so he would be there on the front line,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29but he made this from bits of metal
0:23:29 > 0:23:33that he would have picked up as he was working on the tanks
0:23:33 > 0:23:37and he made it as his souvenir of his experience in the war.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Well, he was a fantastic model maker, I can certainly say that.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45The real one, of course, is considerably bigger,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48it weighs about 28 tons, it's a huge beast,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and do you know what life was like inside these tanks?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I can't imagine. I can imagine it was horrendous.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57It was horrible, you know, the carbon monoxide,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00all the fumes from the engine,
0:24:00 > 0:24:05the poor soldiers would be inhaling them for hours on end
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and they'd be sick, they'd be ill, they'd be passing out.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12It was the most appalling way to serve your army career.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17But, you know, these tanks really helped the British war effort.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21They instilled terrifying fear into the Germans
0:24:21 > 0:24:26the first time they saw them. And tanks were male and female.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27- Did you know that?- No.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30The female tank had machine guns
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and the male tank had six-pounder naval guns
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and this has got two six-pounder naval guns,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38so it's known as a male tank.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41But as an object of trench art,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43it's actually quite desirable.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45It does have a value.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47People collect trench art
0:24:47 > 0:24:50and that really is an extreme version of trench art.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I guess the fact you've got a beautiful object,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57you've got a photograph of him, the man who made it,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00I should think anyone who collects it
0:25:00 > 0:25:04would probably pay certainly £300 to £400 for it.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It's a wonderful, wonderful object.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08That's marvellous. It's something that we shall keep,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12I mean, it's something that we would like to keep in the family, you know. Very special.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- Fantastic. - Yes, very special, yes.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19- Thank you so much, it's really a beautiful object.- Thank you, thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22You know, it's extraordinary.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25As soon as we put this table down on the grass, look at the crowd,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29look at the number of people who've come to admire it.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- Isn't that amazing? - That's wonderful.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And they feel... Obviously, they love it, and how do you feel about it?
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Well, I love it, I cherish and polish it every now and again
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and we've had dinner parties round it,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43but very careful dinner parties.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Well, I don't think you need to be, it's certainly a lovely old top,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I mean, it's an Elizabethan top,
0:25:49 > 0:25:5216th-century top, and it extends, right?
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Yes, it does, yeah.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55They were very, very clever in those days.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57There's nothing new in the world, is there?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00To think that in the 1550s they had tables they could make bigger
0:26:00 > 0:26:02in case extra people came for dinner.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05So this is a family piece, presumably?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08No. I bought it at an auction.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11I was in a long-term relationship
0:26:11 > 0:26:17and received an ultimatum that I had to buy a place for us to live in.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21- Right.- And I duly saved up the deposit for somewhere
0:26:21 > 0:26:26but ended up blowing it on the table at an auction.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30How did the relationship go?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Well, I ended up being married to the table
0:26:33 > 0:26:35rather than the young lady.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37But then again, it had better legs.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39LAUGHTER
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Ooh! Ooh!
0:26:41 > 0:26:47Well, follow that for a story.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51It is, as I say, a marvellous walnut top
0:26:51 > 0:26:56which started life as a table top in the Elizabethan period,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59there's no question of that, it's a fantastic thing.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Well, I'm just not absolutely confident
0:27:02 > 0:27:06about certain bits of the table and whether or not it's all right.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08OK, let's start with the legs.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12They're wonderful, it's called a cup-and-cover turning,
0:27:12 > 0:27:17and it, again, is an Elizabethan pattern. It reflected -
0:27:17 > 0:27:20if you look at the table - it reflected the costume of the time.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Right.- The pantaloons, the puff sleeves with slits in.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Yes.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28But the lobes are slightly offset and they're all sort of misshapen.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- Yes.- Now, imagine when this was new, it cost probably,
0:27:32 > 0:27:38the original would have cost in the region of £30,000 or £40,000 in the Elizabethan times.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Right.- A man making that had to be precise.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It had to be immaculate
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and that's how old furniture, Elizabethan furniture, should look.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50But the Victorians thought, to make it look old, it had to look primitive.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53- If it was smart, it would look new. - Yes.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57And this is a frame from the latter part of the 19th century,
0:27:57 > 0:28:02and when you start to look at it, it doesn't quite tie together.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03Imagine this is oak,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05the number of hobnail boots would have to have
0:28:05 > 0:28:08scraped on that rail to make it look like that.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- It never happened that way.- No.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I mean there aren't enough feet in history to have done that
0:28:13 > 0:28:16to a table rail, OK? And then we come round,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and if we look at the side here,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20the chequerboard inlay -
0:28:20 > 0:28:24the chevron inlays - they did that in the 16th century,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27but it wouldn't have got grubby like that,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31because there's no reason for it to have got dirty, so what you've got
0:28:31 > 0:28:36is a very expensive reproduction frame for a fabulous top.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Can I ask you, then, how much you paid for it?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Oh, I dread to say now.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43THEY LAUGH
0:28:43 > 0:28:46My girlfriend will have her revenge, I think, now.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47No, no.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48It was 16,000.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51- £16,000.- Mm.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53If you could find an old one...
0:28:53 > 0:28:56There isn't an old one like this really on the market.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57There may be one or two,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- but they are in the region of a 100,000.- Yeah.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01If they turn up.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04The table is worth £16,000 to £20,000 anyway,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07so you paid a fair price,
0:29:07 > 0:29:13exactly what the table was worth, and it's a good partnership -
0:29:13 > 0:29:16the fact that the table is a marriage is nothing to do with it.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22Did it have...? May I ask you, did it have a romantic happy ending?
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Well, it did eventually, because by virtue of buying this table,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30I met my current wife and we've got two beautiful daughters, so...
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Oh, wonderful, wonderful.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Well, I wish you many very happy meals on it.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Thank you very much.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43'That table top was created in Shakespeare's lifetime.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46'Curiously, perhaps, Roadshow veteran John Bly
0:29:46 > 0:29:49'rarely sees pieces of such antiquity.'
0:29:50 > 0:29:53It is surprising to most people that we don't see
0:29:53 > 0:29:56a lot of pure, authentic Elizabethan furniture.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58But we don't - it's very scarce, it's very rare.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02What we do see on nearly every programme in 34 years
0:30:02 > 0:30:05is this type of furniture, which is the 19th-century version.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09This is the Victorians' idea of Elizabethan furniture.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17This is a family piece, presumably?
0:30:17 > 0:30:21'That piece was a perfect example of an old top on a later base.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23'That was the Victorians' idea'
0:30:23 > 0:30:25of an Elizabethan table.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Now, Elizabethan furniture of that type was so expensive,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30it had to look immaculate.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32They used seasoned timber
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and the most expensive craftsmen to produce it.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38No cracks in the timber, and no irregularities in the carving,
0:30:38 > 0:30:40it just didn't work.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43When you start to look at it, it doesn't quite tie together.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46But, of course, people of Shakespeare's class
0:30:46 > 0:30:48wouldn't have got anywhere near that quality table.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50They would have had fine furniture -
0:30:50 > 0:30:52good, elegant but simpler furniture,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55functional, and it would have been made of fruit wood,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58could have been made of ash or elm, and softer timbers generally,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01and so it hasn't lasted as long,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05and so because of that rarity, it is now collectors' class,
0:31:05 > 0:31:10and equally exciting to me to find anything from that period.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13And John tells us he'd love nothing more
0:31:13 > 0:31:16than to see a genuine example of a fine or rustic
0:31:16 > 0:31:19piece of Elizabethan furniture at a future Roadshow.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21We can help you bring large pieces to the show
0:31:21 > 0:31:23if you contact us in advance.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28These two oil paintings of Venice have the most extraordinary detail.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29Yes.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32They date to about 1870.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Now, tell me, I'm just amazed by the quality of these little pictures.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Tell me your history.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Well, my grandma,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43when she was 19, was taken to Venice by her parents as a treat
0:31:43 > 0:31:47and they evidently bought them for her, as a present,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50so that was 1910-ish.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55They were an industrialist family, created fine linen,
0:31:55 > 0:31:57and they had quite a lot of paintings and things
0:31:57 > 0:31:59and they obviously liked these
0:31:59 > 0:32:02and thought they would be a memento, I think.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04I mean, an extraordinary gift for 1910 -
0:32:04 > 0:32:06that was quite a grown-up gift at the time.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09I'm amazed by the detail of these pictures -
0:32:09 > 0:32:12all the figures, all the architecture and, of course,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Venice is one of my favourite places that I've travelled to.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Have you been there too?
0:32:17 > 0:32:21My parents took me when I was... Well, in 1994.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Yes, it's lovely, it is very nice.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27It's the most unbelievable place.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Now, certainly the picture at the top is unsigned.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31But there is an indistinct signature
0:32:31 > 0:32:36lower right on the St Mark's Square picture.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39I've never been able to decipher that.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41I don't know whether you can do any better.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46- Have you heard of a family called the Grubacs Family?- No.- No?
0:32:46 > 0:32:48There's two artists, there's an artist -
0:32:48 > 0:32:52an Italian artist, of course - Carlo Grubacs and Giovanni Grubacs.
0:32:52 > 0:32:58Giovanni was born in 1829 and lived up to about 1919
0:32:58 > 0:33:02so that ties in perfectly with your trip you were discussing.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06And they're incredibly sought-after.
0:33:06 > 0:33:07I mean, little pictures like this -
0:33:07 > 0:33:11such incredible detail, lovely original condition -
0:33:11 > 0:33:13I mean, a real treat for me to see these, actually.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16And highly, highly commercial.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17Good. I'm not going to sell them,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19they've been in the family a long time
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and they would stay in the family.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23£10,000 to £15,000.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Wow!
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Well, we value them...
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- Yes, that's a lot of money! - Isn't it?
0:33:32 > 0:33:35- You've done your research? - I think I have. I hope so.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38"Dear Sir, thank you for your letter of June 19th.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43"Your vase is a unique piece painted in 1900 by CF Liisberg..."
0:33:43 > 0:33:46There is Liisberg's signature right there.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51"..one of our best artists, and sent to the world exhibition in Paris
0:33:51 > 0:33:56"the same year, where it was sold for 2,000 Danish crowns."
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Well, first of all, I have to declare an interest -
0:33:59 > 0:34:01it comes from my home city.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04- Good.- So I'm disposed towards it. - Good.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08- What about you?- We are very disposed to it as a family.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11The family found a premises in Sheep Street, in Stratford -
0:34:11 > 0:34:15and then what does the family do? It goes to the broom cupboard
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and believe it or not,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21a very, very dirty, beautiful piece of porcelain.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24So we scrubbed it up and just couldn't believe our eyes,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26and that was 1964.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27So it's a real discovery.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- A real discovery.- The classic broom cupboard.- Really, yes.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Now from that letter - which was written to you by the curator
0:34:35 > 0:34:38of the Royal Copenhagen Archive - we've established that it was made
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- for the Great Paris Exhibition in the year 1900.- 1900.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44I'm going to look at this as a piece of design.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46First of all, swans -
0:34:46 > 0:34:49well, which other bird would you associate with Scandinavia?
0:34:49 > 0:34:53- Exactly.- Other than swans? I mean, Hans Christian Andersen...
0:34:53 > 0:34:55- I know. - ..has the story about the swans,
0:34:55 > 0:34:59and the swans represent each of the countries of Scandinavia today.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Here, we've got nine swans crossing what I would say
0:35:02 > 0:35:05is a highly recognisable Danish coastline
0:35:05 > 0:35:07with all those granite rocks in the foreground
0:35:07 > 0:35:10and this rather stormy sky.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12But if you just rotate this vase,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15you'll see how skilful the design is.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19It really does have that wonderful, wonderful movement.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22And these fabulous pigments, these underglaze pigments -
0:35:22 > 0:35:26in other words, when you rub your hand across the vase,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- you can't actually feel the pigments.- No, no, you can't.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32- This is something that Copenhagen is famous for.- Mm.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33And a designer called Arnold Krog
0:35:33 > 0:35:40- was head of the workshops in Copenhagen in the 1870s-1880s.- Yes.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45And at this stage, Japanese design is flooding into Europe
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and is having a huge effect on all the artists,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51including people like Van Gogh, who start using Japanese motifs.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54- Yes.- And what do we see here?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56We see Copenhagen using - at the very bottom -
0:35:56 > 0:36:01this wonderful, very, very Japanese wave style.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04These great international exhibitions,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06which started off, of course, in London
0:36:06 > 0:36:08- with the Great Exhibition of 1851...- Yes.
0:36:08 > 0:36:13..and were held regularly thereafter, these were the moments when the world got to know itself.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18And it's when the Japanese came along with their pottery
0:36:18 > 0:36:22to show Europeans what they were doing, and it's when the Danes
0:36:22 > 0:36:25went along with their porcelain to show the rest of the world as well,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and they showed them just what could be done
0:36:28 > 0:36:30with all of these underglaze pigments.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33But what would you get for it if you sold it?
0:36:33 > 0:36:36That's the question. It's an exhibition piece.
0:36:36 > 0:36:37Yes.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41I think you would certainly get somewhere between £8,000
0:36:41 > 0:36:43and maybe £12,000.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Thank you very much indeed.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47But we're not going to - it's in the family.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49What else was in the broom cupboard?
0:36:49 > 0:36:52LAUGHTER
0:36:52 > 0:36:55This gorgeous rose bowl is an example of silver
0:36:55 > 0:36:57that doesn't really exist these days,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59or is extremely rare these days,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03which is a private commission where somebody goes to the silversmith
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and has something made up, absolutely to their order.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09The coat of arms on the front - somebody's...
0:37:09 > 0:37:12- perhaps somebody related to you? - My great-uncle.- Your great-uncle.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Your great-uncle who was - by looking at the coat of arms I can tell -
0:37:16 > 0:37:17- a baron.- He was indeed, yes.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21And his baron's coronet.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23He's gone to see the silversmith,
0:37:23 > 0:37:25one Mr Omar Ramsden,
0:37:25 > 0:37:26and he's made up a special order
0:37:26 > 0:37:31- with various other emblems on it that relate to your ancestor.- Yes.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35It would have been a very expensive piece of silver at the time.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39Omar Ramsden has engraved on the bottom "Omar Ramsden me fecit",
0:37:39 > 0:37:44which means "Omar Ramsden made me", which he didn't.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Omar Ramsden was a silversmith
0:37:46 > 0:37:48but was also a brilliant salesman,
0:37:48 > 0:37:49- fantastic salesman.- Really?
0:37:49 > 0:37:53And evidence of his salesmanship, I think, can be seen
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- from the paperwork in front of us here.- Yes.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59We've got a photograph of the almost-finished article.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01It hasn't got its grille in the top to take the flowers.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04And he said on the card that goes with it, "With the compliments
0:38:04 > 0:38:10"of Omar Ramsden. The actual work will be finished next week."
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Now, I might be wrong, but it's quite possible that the reason
0:38:13 > 0:38:16he sent this along was to get a pre-payment, perhaps.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19- Right.- For the finished work.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23This sort of silver doesn't get made in any sort of quantity these days
0:38:23 > 0:38:25because it's simply too expensive
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and there aren't sufficient silversmiths working
0:38:28 > 0:38:32to bring the price down to a reasonable level,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34so private commissions are rare.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39Omar Ramsden made this in 1935, just four or five years before he died,
0:38:39 > 0:38:45and it's the end of an era, really, for private commissions.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Bits of Omar Ramsden silver this size
0:38:47 > 0:38:51are quite scarce and there is an enormous collectors' market for it.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Although he's not made the work himself necessarily,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56the people working for him were very, very good
0:38:56 > 0:38:59and there are some quite famous names in the silversmithing world
0:38:59 > 0:39:02who were his apprentices at the time.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05As a consequence, it's really quite a valuable piece of silver.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09I don't know if you've ever thought about what the value might be.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10Never. Sentimental.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Never, and it would probably never leave the family
0:39:12 > 0:39:15since it's clearly got your family's arms.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17But what I can tell you is that with the enthusiasm
0:39:17 > 0:39:20for Omar Ramsden silver among collectors,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23that if you walked into a shop and tried to buy it,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26you would be charged at least £20,000 for it.
0:39:28 > 0:39:29I won't sell it.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32I'd hang on to it.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35It's probably not going to go down in price any time soon.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Looks lovely with little carnations in it, super.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- Lucky you.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Well, look at all this gold in the sunlight, gleaming away.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Tell me about its history with you.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Well, the history is that these objects came from Somalia -
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Somaliland - and it came from our ancestry,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59passed through my father and then my father passed away,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01and since then I've had them,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04but I didn't know where to take them to get the history.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06But all I know is they're 22-carat gold, 280 grams,
0:40:06 > 0:40:12- the bigger one, and the other one is also a 22-carat gold.- Fabulous.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15And isn't there some relationship between this shard of pottery here?
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Were they found in this pot?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19They were found in the pot with a dagger
0:40:19 > 0:40:23and a few other silver chains, some rings, quite a few items together.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27And sort of buried, literally buried treasure, really, isn't it?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29- It is a buried treasure.- Marvellous.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32This chain here is made from a technique
0:40:32 > 0:40:34called loop-in-loop chain work,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36which comes from deepest antiquity.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39It's exactly the same technique as used by the ancient Greeks
0:40:39 > 0:40:41- in the 3rd century BC.- OK.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44And it continues to be used today.
0:40:44 > 0:40:45It's made by making thin gold wires
0:40:45 > 0:40:48and then almost working them up like needlework,
0:40:48 > 0:40:52and there is a sense that this is rather like a textile, isn't it?
0:40:52 > 0:40:55It's very movable. And this is a much more massy and heavy affair,
0:40:55 > 0:40:59- really, with all kinds of small gold links soldered together.- Yes.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02And so in a way, these are very valuable status symbols.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05The original owner probably had these things to let people know
0:41:05 > 0:41:08that he was a highly successful individual
0:41:08 > 0:41:09and more accurately that his wife
0:41:09 > 0:41:11was a highly successful individual
0:41:11 > 0:41:13and that they could accumulate this gold -
0:41:13 > 0:41:16not only could they afford it, but they could also protect it.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19And it seems to me that protection is part of all of this,
0:41:19 > 0:41:22that somewhere along the line, somebody was in trouble
0:41:22 > 0:41:24and they buried this gold in the ground,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and wanted to come back for it.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30And this is very much the theme of treasure,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33that it's hidden away, it's a sort of form of banking and the only key
0:41:33 > 0:41:37is try to remember where you buried it, and also to get back to do it.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- OK.- And clearly this person who buried those
0:41:40 > 0:41:43didn't succeed in getting back, and I can't - I can only imagine
0:41:43 > 0:41:48your father's surprise and delight to unearth this gold.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- Gold is absolutely incorruptible - this is nearly pure gold.- OK.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54And if it had lain in the soil for 20 million years,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56it would come up looking the same, and in a way
0:41:56 > 0:41:59that's part of the magnetism that these sort of objects have,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02that this rich gold alloy has. Well, there's a huge tradition
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- for working gold and for mining gold in Africa.- Yes.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08And we see it in great splendour in the Benin civilisation
0:42:08 > 0:42:11- and the Ashanti civilisation. - OK, OK.- But my instinct is,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14although this is a very ancient technique indeed,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16that it's not a particularly ancient object,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19and I'd be surprised if it dated
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- much before the 18th or 19th century.- OK.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25And if we're talking only about the gold content -
0:42:25 > 0:42:26which is a travesty really,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29you wouldn't dream of melting them - but if that had happened,
0:42:29 > 0:42:32you could walk away with your treasure, your bullion,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34to a value of £10,000, which astounds me actually,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36and then add a little bit more -
0:42:36 > 0:42:39perhaps not a great deal more for the historical context
0:42:39 > 0:42:43because I'm not sure that that's a huge focus here -
0:42:43 > 0:42:46but it does tell us the extraordinary relationship
0:42:46 > 0:42:49between man and this noble gold, gleaming metal
0:42:49 > 0:42:51that's incorruptible, is the same at the beginning of time
0:42:51 > 0:42:55as at the end, and you're part of it.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57- Excited by it?- Yes, absolutely,
0:42:57 > 0:43:01I've never got any expert opinion other than first time today.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Well, I hope this is an expert one, but I'm not sure about it.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- But it's an opinion. - I didn't expect this, but thank you.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13It did belong to my husband,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16and he was given it through a gentleman that he worked with,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20and he had it cleaned and he did wear it a couple of times
0:43:20 > 0:43:23because of the history - not that it was German,
0:43:23 > 0:43:27but relating to the Battle of Britain.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30So your husband, how did he acquire it?
0:43:30 > 0:43:33A gentleman at work, one of his colleagues,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36he asked him if he would be interested in an old watch,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39and my husband did like watches and clocks.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43And it was among all the tools. And he'd got it off his father...
0:43:43 > 0:43:47- Right.- ..and it was in the toolbox forever.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- And he hoiked it out and then he... - He just passed it over to Ricky.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54It didn't have hands, and Ricky took it to a jeweller in Grantham
0:43:54 > 0:43:57and as soon as the jeweller saw it, he said, "Do you want to sell it?"
0:43:57 > 0:43:59and Ricky said no.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01- Good for him. - He wanted it to work,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04you see, so he wanted it cleaned and he needed new hands,
0:44:04 > 0:44:09- but the chap said he couldn't get the original hands.- Yeah.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12And he said, "But I'll get as near as I can."
0:44:12 > 0:44:14And what do you know about it?
0:44:14 > 0:44:17We tried to look up the name, Glashuette.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21- Yeah.- That's who made it, but we can't find anything else
0:44:21 > 0:44:23because somebody bombed it.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Us.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31So the factory's gone kaput, so that's all I could find out.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35- Right. Well, let me see if we can shed a bit of light on it.- OK.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37- It is an aviator's watch.- OK.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39It's more of a navigator's watch.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42It's German - but you knew that -
0:44:42 > 0:44:46and it dates from around 1942,
0:44:46 > 0:44:48made for the German Luftwaffe,
0:44:48 > 0:44:52so absolutely - I mean, it could well have been worn
0:44:52 > 0:44:54as those bombers came over this country.
0:44:54 > 0:45:00The name on the dial is Glashuette, and Glashuette is a town in Germany.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04It was the centre of the watchmaking industry near Dresden.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08The company that made it was a company called Uhrenfabrik AG.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Uhren - watch, Fabrik - made, and the company was AG.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14I think now's the time to point out
0:45:14 > 0:45:16that it's not in the best of condition,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20but then it wouldn't be, because it's been worn inside a bomber.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Very briefly, what we have is a black enamel dial
0:45:23 > 0:45:26with luminous Arabic numerals, and you have the replaced hands,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29but actually they've been so beautifully replaced,
0:45:29 > 0:45:33if you hadn't told me that, I'd have believed they were original hands.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35They're absolutely spot on. So, great job.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38But somebody said that there was three hands, is that right?
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- There are meant to be three.- OK.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43Yes. These two buttons are the chronograph buttons,
0:45:43 > 0:45:44and that's the stopwatch.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48Press that to start it, press that to stop it and that to return it.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51But we haven't got a chronograph hand to show that mechanism,
0:45:51 > 0:45:52but I'm sure it would work.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55The chronograph mechanism is there to time,
0:45:55 > 0:45:59presumably from one navigational spot to the next navigational spot.
0:45:59 > 0:46:00Yes, I read that.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04So, out of a toolbox, given away really, isn't it?
0:46:04 > 0:46:05Yes.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09- £2,000.- OK.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12And let's just imagine, for a minute,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15that this was on the wrist of a German navigator,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18clad in leather, sheepskin-lined jacket
0:46:18 > 0:46:21with this strap over the top of his jacket -
0:46:21 > 0:46:23that's why they're so large -
0:46:23 > 0:46:26whilst cruising over London, Birmingham, Manchester,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28bombing the heck out of us.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31And that is - I mean that's in all likelihood,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34that's where this watch was last practically used.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36It's extraordinary, really, when you think about it.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40- It's spooky.- It really is spooky. - That's why I won't sell it.
0:46:40 > 0:46:41Quite right.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46So how fitting, to be in this beautiful Elizabethan garden
0:46:46 > 0:46:49and to see this magnificent Elizabethan portrait.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Now, are you the Earl of Leicester?
0:46:52 > 0:46:56- No.- No. So how has this ended up in your possession?
0:46:56 > 0:46:59- I'm the master of a thing called the Lord Leicester Hospital.- Right.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Which is an establishment which he set up in 1571
0:47:03 > 0:47:05as a retirement home for old warriors
0:47:05 > 0:47:09disabled in the service of Queen Elizabeth.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12How amazing! And it's been in that establishment ever since?
0:47:12 > 0:47:16It has, and it's still a home for old warriors,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19we're still a retirement home for ex-servicemen
0:47:19 > 0:47:22and this has been on the wall for we don't know how long!
0:47:22 > 0:47:25This is one of the reasons that I'm hoping you're going to help me.
0:47:25 > 0:47:26Ah, well, let's look at it.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30I mean, it is a superb portrait of Robert Dudley,
0:47:30 > 0:47:31the Earl of Leicester.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35And of course he was one of the sons of the Duke of Northumberland,
0:47:35 > 0:47:41and that of course brought him very close to the royal family,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44and it's said that he grew up with Elizabeth I
0:47:44 > 0:47:47and eventually Elizabeth took him into the court
0:47:47 > 0:47:50and he became a huge favourite. But I like this, it's very intimate,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53and I really think it's of the period.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Oh, I'm very pleased because we weren't sure
0:47:55 > 0:47:58whether it was genuine or a copy, or a late...
0:47:58 > 0:48:00It's certainly of him, he was painted by the greats.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Great miniature painter Nicholas Hilliard painted him.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06- But look at the quality, have you seen his beard?- Yes, yes.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08It's incredible, every hair you can see.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12It's a fantastic portrait of an extremely important man.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Do you know who it's by?
0:48:14 > 0:48:17It's got a label on it, but I'm deeply sceptical of labels.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Anyone can stick a label on anything.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22It's by an Italian painter, I think. I don't know how to pronounce it -
0:48:22 > 0:48:25- Zucchero?- I don't think it's by Zucchero at all.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29In style it's rather like a chap called Sir William Segar,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32and I think that it's much more in his style,
0:48:32 > 0:48:37but because... He was iconic, there are many many portraits of him.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40- Have you ever had it valued? - No, we haven't.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Well, you know, although there are a number of portraits
0:48:43 > 0:48:46of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,
0:48:46 > 0:48:50it is quite rare to find things from the Tudor period,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53and assuming this is from the Tudor period,
0:48:53 > 0:48:57which I feel from looking at today, it is, I would say
0:48:57 > 0:49:00it could make between £10,000 and £15,000 at auction.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02- Gosh.- So, not bad.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07So the great Robert Dudley is still a benefactor of your establishment.
0:49:07 > 0:49:08- Very much so, yes.- That's wonderful.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Well, I'm pleased, and I think he was a good man,
0:49:11 > 0:49:13still to look down on you.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16We've been fortunate to see objects from Shakespeare's lifetime
0:49:16 > 0:49:20here at Charlecote Park, particularly such a sumptuous painting.
0:49:21 > 0:49:26Mark Poltimore has chosen a personal favourite from the era.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32In my hand, I have - and that's why I'm wearing these gloves -
0:49:32 > 0:49:35this very precious and incredibly beautiful
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Portrait Of An Unknown Lady by Nicholas Hilliard.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41He was one of the first home-grown English artists,
0:49:41 > 0:49:46but here we have quite a late portrait from 1605
0:49:46 > 0:49:51of this beautiful young lady. If you look at it in detail,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55you will see it is absolutely microscopic
0:49:55 > 0:50:01and that the jewellery shines out and is so intricate and so delicate.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05He often used a weasel or a stoat's tooth,
0:50:05 > 0:50:12mounted on a wooden stick, to burnish, to sort of rub,
0:50:12 > 0:50:16to bring it out, so it's incredibly bright and beautiful.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21He would use very fine brushes made of squirrel's tails.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24They really were treated as jewels.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Value is always difficult, but I would have thought
0:50:27 > 0:50:29if it came up onto the market,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32it would make at least £50,000 to £70,000.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38And as only the wealthy were painted in Tudor England, it's believed that
0:50:38 > 0:50:41no portrait was painted of Shakespeare in his lifetime.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44But if you know better, bring your picture along to a Roadshow.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51So, Imperial Russia comes to Warwickshire.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54You have a wonderful Russian porcelain cup and saucer.
0:50:54 > 0:50:59- Where did you get it?- I got it about 35 years ago, I think,
0:50:59 > 0:51:03at a little antique shop that had a tearoom as well.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05- Right. - Up near Billingshurst in Sussex.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Right. Do you know anything about it?
0:51:07 > 0:51:09- We knew it was Russian.- Right.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12And we went to the library and had a look at some of the books,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15and we came up with Kuznetsov
0:51:15 > 0:51:19- and we thought it was the Dulevo factory.- Right.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22And the book said that the mark was usually done in blue,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25but they did gold for special orders.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28- But that's really all we know about it.- I'm redundant, aren't I?
0:51:28 > 0:51:31You've done it all. Let's have a look.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34You do have this wonderful painted panel,
0:51:34 > 0:51:39you have wonderful jewelling - for that's what we call it,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41this raised enamel work round the side -
0:51:41 > 0:51:43tooled gold,
0:51:43 > 0:51:45pierced base, all the signs of luxury
0:51:45 > 0:51:47- and indeed of a special order.- Yes.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50So I think you're probably right there.
0:51:50 > 0:51:51Let's have a look at the mark,
0:51:51 > 0:51:54see whether you're right about Kuznetsov - and you are.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57- It is a gold mark.- Yes.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59It's likely to be the sign of a special order,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01and it was made in the late 19th century.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05This mark is in real gold - people often don't appreciate this,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08- this is real gold used to gild this mark.- Yes, mm.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11- It doesn't actually look Russian, does it?- No.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14It looks... It could be a piece of Coalport or a piece of Meissen,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16it doesn't look actually distinctively Russian,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19and that might hold it back a bit.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24But even then, I think your cup and saucer, £25 35 years ago,
0:52:24 > 0:52:29is going to be in the region of £500 or maybe £600 today.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Wow! Lovely, thank you very much.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35- Not at all, it's a pleasure. - That's great.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41Well, I reckon that these decanters are a pair of sisters.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43What about you guys?
0:52:43 > 0:52:47Well, we are two brothers. And my father
0:52:47 > 0:52:52bought them many years ago, and when he died, he passed them on
0:52:52 > 0:52:58to us separately, so we've had them separately now for about 25 years.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00And what do you know about their past?
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Where did he get them from? Do you know anything further about them?
0:53:03 > 0:53:08He gave us a book - which we've now lost, unfortunately -
0:53:08 > 0:53:11and in there it describes the maker, from Stourbridge,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14and we're now trying to find that out.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16So we will probably find the book one day,
0:53:16 > 0:53:20but in the meantime we've got a pair of beautiful decanters
0:53:20 > 0:53:22which just sit in the cabinet.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24Well, let's have a closer look at what we've got here.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28Now, see, I mean this is where glass comes into play. Look at that.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32Add light and - magic! Absolutely fantastic.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34What I can tell you about them,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36I mean, you know, one of the problems about glass
0:53:36 > 0:53:40is it doesn't say, "Made by so-and-so," written on it,
0:53:40 > 0:53:42and that is inevitably a problem, but I'm pretty sure
0:53:42 > 0:53:45these are the work of Thomas Webb and Sons,
0:53:45 > 0:53:48and these date, I would think,
0:53:48 > 0:53:51to about the glory period of Thomas Webb, about 1870.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55And the work is absolutely fantastic.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58They're wheel-engraved, I mean you used to take the basic blank
0:53:58 > 0:54:01and then the wheel engraver gets to work.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05On the reverse, pretty pedestrian.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Ferns - the archetypal motif of Victorian engraving.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14So if you like, this is the chalk, but, boy, that's the cheese.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18That is just absolutely fantastic.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21These must be a quarter-inch deep, cut into the body,
0:54:21 > 0:54:23and if you zoom in and look at the feathers,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26straining on the angel's wings,
0:54:26 > 0:54:30I mean, they're just really very, very good indeed.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34- I mean, close to "as good as you get".- Mm.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37I mean they really are - mwah! - peachy, and I love them.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42I think these are really pretty. So, value.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46I suppose as a pair they're going to be worth a bit more than as singles,
0:54:46 > 0:54:48which is always the trouble about splitting pairs,
0:54:48 > 0:54:54but these would be a proud part of a stock of any posh antique dealer.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56You would certainly not be able to buy them
0:54:56 > 0:54:59for any less than £1,200 to £1,500
0:54:59 > 0:55:02because they're just such fabulous quality.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05- Thank you.- That sounds very good. - Very nice, very nice indeed.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Very interesting to hear of the history.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12When you brought me this box with "National Health Service"
0:55:12 > 0:55:16written on it, I thought you'd brought me your heart pills!
0:55:16 > 0:55:19I open it, and I think we'll just get rid of the box -
0:55:19 > 0:55:24chuck that away - and revealed is this beautiful cameo.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Tell me, how did you get this?
0:55:26 > 0:55:32My aunt left it to my mother, and my mother gave it to me.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35- Do you know anything about it? - Not really, no.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Well, I will tell you something about it.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42What I loved - I mean, coming out of that box, that was just amazing,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45because immediately, it just screams out quality.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48I mean it just screams out like a museum piece,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51it's absolutely gorgeous.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55It's a hardstone cameo of around about 1800.
0:55:55 > 0:56:01Now between 1760 and 1820 there was a real revival of Classicism,
0:56:01 > 0:56:03and that was because of the archaeological sites
0:56:03 > 0:56:05that were being discovered at the time,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09and also Napoleon around that time, he was really, he loved cameos.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12And what is important with cameos
0:56:12 > 0:56:15is the movement and the fineness of the carving.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18What they would have, they would have a drill,
0:56:18 > 0:56:19and at the end of the drill,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22a little lead head would have been impregnated with diamond dust,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25and these are layers in the hardstone,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28and they would actually start drilling away
0:56:28 > 0:56:30to reveal all the different levels
0:56:30 > 0:56:33and it would take months and months and years,
0:56:33 > 0:56:37and the skill in this was absolutely revered
0:56:37 > 0:56:40as the same as an architect or a painter or a sculptor.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44So in fact what is really also interesting is that people would...
0:56:44 > 0:56:48This is of Apollo, and men would wear these cameos with pride.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52It wasn't sort of female adornment, it was really important,
0:56:52 > 0:56:57there was this real sense of place and dignity by wearing one of these.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59You have here, just on the side here, "Constantini" -
0:56:59 > 0:57:03the signature of the engraver, and the stone is sardonyx,
0:57:03 > 0:57:07a hardstone, which means that it has layers of different colours,
0:57:07 > 0:57:09all the same... It's all the same stone.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12The diamonds round the outside are rose-cut diamonds,
0:57:12 > 0:57:16and rose cuts means that it has a flat back
0:57:16 > 0:57:18but it has a faceted top to it.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Do you have an idea of the value?
0:57:20 > 0:57:23Yes, a little bit, well... I was told something.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26- What were you told? - About £800 to £1,000.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29- £800 to £1,000.- Yes.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31I think you should have brought those heart pills.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33Really?
0:57:35 > 0:57:39Because I would say that it would be around about £6,000 to £8,000.
0:57:39 > 0:57:44Ooh, well. That is a surprise.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48I mean, it's absolutely stunning, it's fantastic, really beautiful,
0:57:48 > 0:57:51and so lovely to see the quality of the piece.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54What would have happened if I'd let it go to the auction?
0:57:54 > 0:57:57You wouldn't be sitting here feeling so happy.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04- Well, thank you very much.- Gosh, right, that's exciting, thank you.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11Do you remember I mentioned at the beginning of this programme
0:58:11 > 0:58:14that Shakespeare was apparently caught red-handed poaching deer here?
0:58:14 > 0:58:17Talking of Shakespeare, when I arrived this morning
0:58:17 > 0:58:19and there were only six people waiting to see our experts,
0:58:19 > 0:58:22I thought today might be Much Ado About Nothing, but what can I say?
0:58:22 > 0:58:25We've had 2,000, 3,000 people turn up - it's been a wonderful day,
0:58:25 > 0:58:28and All's Well That Ends Well.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32From the Antiques Roadshow in Warwickshire, bye-bye.
0:58:51 > 0:58:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd