0:00:02 > 0:00:05This week we return to a village built on the banks of the Mersey,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08created for his workers by the Edwardian soap tycoon
0:00:08 > 0:00:10William Hesketh Lever.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from Port Sunlight near Liverpool.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16TING TING!
0:00:57 > 0:00:59There's a rhythm to life on the Roadshow.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01The night before we film the programme,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05we all get together - the experts, producers, crew, technicians -
0:01:05 > 0:01:08and sometimes we're given a little private tour of our venue.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12I have to tell you we all wanted to come and have a look round here.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21This is the Lady Lever Art Gallery, built by William Hesketh Lever.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24He was one of Britain's finest art collectors
0:01:24 > 0:01:25and he was a man with a purpose.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29He built this gallery so that his workers could enjoy the benefit
0:01:29 > 0:01:32of the paintings, but he also bought specific pictures which he
0:01:32 > 0:01:37could use to advertise his beloved and very profitable Sunlight soap.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Look at this portrait of William Hesketh Lever by Augustus John.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00Now, Lever hated this picture. He thought it wasn't flattering enough
0:02:00 > 0:02:02so he sabotaged it by cutting out his head and shoulders.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Look, you can see here where he cut it, and this prompted a furious row
0:02:06 > 0:02:08with Augustus John.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10It was in all the papers.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Anyway, the reason we have this painting here today
0:02:12 > 0:02:15is because Lever's housekeeper sent the missing part
0:02:15 > 0:02:20back to Augustus John, and he had it restored.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Our ceramics team got very excited when they saw
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Lever's Wedgwood jasperware, the world's best collection.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And the Chinese porcelain really got them going.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36And when Christopher Payne saw the 18th-century furniture collection,
0:02:36 > 0:02:37he had to sit down.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Mm, not on that one, though.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46By the time Lever died in 1925, he'd amassed some 20,000 works of art,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50and at his workers' request, his body was laid here in state,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and thousands of them came to pay their respects.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Lever expressly stated that he wanted his collection to be enjoyed
0:03:00 > 0:03:04by everyone, which is why it's open to the public, free of charge.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08But time to get under way and join our experts.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12If you'd like more information about the programme
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and further details on some of the items featured in this episode,
0:03:15 > 0:03:22please log on to our website:
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's a pretty miserable day here at Port Sunlight, but I have to say
0:03:28 > 0:03:31that these are bringing a little bit of sunshine into the day.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36They are such bright, arresting images.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Now, where did you get these from?
0:03:38 > 0:03:40I found them on a tip.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Do you know, people always tell me those stories
0:03:42 > 0:03:46and I don't actually know if I believe these stories.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Very true, found them on a tip.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Gentleman was throwing them down the tip and I asked could I have them,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and he said, "Well, they're going down the tip so you can have them,"
0:03:54 > 0:03:56so I went home, got my dad's wheelbarrow,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59back down to the tip and off up the road.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00And how long ago was this?
0:04:00 > 0:04:02That's 40 years.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Well, I mean, it's very appropriate that we've got two here
0:04:05 > 0:04:07relating to Sunlight.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Yes.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Now, this £1,000 guarantee of purity,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14was that if you found some impurity in the soap?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I do believe they guaranteed to pay you £1,000.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20How on earth they worked or quantified that out I'm not sure.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- Two of them represent Sunlight.- Yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26One, the competition, Hudson's, and another which really I suppose
0:04:26 > 0:04:31illustrates that we're probably glad to have the Trade Descriptions rule.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Well, exactly.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Here we have Craven A Virginia cigarettes
0:04:34 > 0:04:37"Made specially to prevent sore throats."
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Doesn't say anything about killing you,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41but it does say that it would prevent sore throats.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Which is quite amusing, really. - Exactly.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The heyday of the manufacture of enamel signs
0:04:48 > 0:04:52was from about 1900 through to the 1920s.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56They came up with this amazing system to vitreous enamel
0:04:56 > 0:04:58onto sheet steel,
0:04:58 > 0:05:04and you can see that here we are probably 100 years on.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Yes, it's a little bit tired and a little bit spotted and a bit rusty,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09but basically it has stood the test of time.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And, in fact, if we look down here,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14we've actually got the name of one of the big makers -
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- Chromo of Wolverhampton.- That's it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18- There was Jordan's in Bilston.- Yeah.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22So, where did it all go wrong? Why don't we see them today?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- One has to think about the Second World War...- Yes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30..when steel was used for other, I'm sure more important, purposes
0:05:30 > 0:05:32- than enamel signs.- Yes.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34And I think if one looks post-war,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37one also sees the demise of the small shop.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Yes. - And the rise of the supermarket.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41So I think all of those things
0:05:41 > 0:05:47- mean that we're looking at little bits of history now.- Yeah.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51So, you've got the four. Is this all of it?
0:05:51 > 0:05:52I've got about 200.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55All from that junk-yard find?
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Not all from that junk-yard find but a good 50 from the junk-yard find.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Amazing.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Well, I sadly can't put a value on all the others you've got at home,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06but the four that we've got here,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- I would have said that the Hudson's going to be the most valuable.- Yes.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- At 500-ish.- Wow.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18The Sunlight, even though it's a bit damaged, it's such a lovely image
0:06:18 > 0:06:23and it's one of the oldest, I'd say, I would say that's about 1910, 1912.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I'd put that at perhaps 300 to 400.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31The Craven A, probably 100, 150
0:06:31 > 0:06:33and this little Sunlight here,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35again round about 100 or so.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37So, you know, it's adding up and heaven only knows
0:06:37 > 0:06:40what the other 196 are going to fetch.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- Probably a retirement package for myself.- Exactly, exactly.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48I love banded agate.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The Romans used to use this material to make precious objects with
0:06:52 > 0:06:56and it's just a lovely material.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58This piece, it's a casket, as you know,
0:06:58 > 0:07:03dates from about 1810 to 1840.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07It's a really fine example of lapidary work.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10These lovely sheets of agate have been chamfered and cut
0:07:10 > 0:07:16so beautifully and there's not one chip, scratch or crack,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20and the condition of these things is all-important.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Even the inside of the lock plate is engraved.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27It's chased and finished, as are all the mounts.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- How long have you known it?- Well, I've known it all my life, really.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35It was my great-aunt's to start off with
0:07:35 > 0:07:36and it was given to her
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and then it was passed to my mother, who unfortunately is now deceased,
0:07:40 > 0:07:41and it's now mine.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- You lucky thing. - And I use it regularly.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I have my jewellery in it sitting on my dressing table.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Well, that's what it was made for, to keep jewels in.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53It's a precious object to keep precious things in.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58The thing about these is, I've seen numerous examples
0:07:58 > 0:08:01but I've never seen one as nice as this.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Probably Continental, this. It's probably French.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I mean, it could be Palais Royale or something like that.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09It's that kind of quality.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13And with that kind of quality comes quite a value
0:08:13 > 0:08:19and, you know, there are examples of this that are £50 to £80.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22This example is more like
0:08:22 > 0:08:241,750 to 2,000.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Oh, wow!
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I never realised that.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Maybe even a bit more than 2,000.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Do you know, for the first time, I'm actually dealing with something
0:08:36 > 0:08:41that is not made of silver on this programme.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And the reason is I'm just so excited by this piece.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49I've never actually seen one of these
0:08:49 > 0:08:51with two spouts.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52- Gosh.- It is English as well.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Continental you sometimes get more than one spout.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59But on an English example, two spouts, extraordinary.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- Wow.- But why?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Well, what is the actual object itself?
0:09:04 > 0:09:07It was just something that's been handed down through the family.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I inherited it last year from my mother-in-law
0:09:10 > 0:09:15and I've always known it as a samovar, a tea or coffee dispenser.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16Right, OK.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I can perfectly understand that, and that's what everyone thinks
0:09:19 > 0:09:22when they see one of these, and it's wrong.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27- Oh, gosh.- It's not a samovar, it's an urn.- Right.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28In England we have urns.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30In Russia they have samovars
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and those have got fittings to hold teapots on the top.
0:09:33 > 0:09:40- Yeah.- Date-wise, we're looking at the late 18th century.- Goodness, yes.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44This beaded edge that we've got points to a date round the 1780s.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Mm.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47And quite fascinatingly as well,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50we've got the arms of King George III appearing on the front.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Goodness. Wow.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56- Actually there, it does say that it's a patented piece.- Yes.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58So it will be in the records.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03It's somebody's wonderful invention that clearly nobody else went for,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07otherwise we'd have a lot more of them around.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Yes, of course, yes.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Now, we've got on here the first clue to what it's about.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- There it says "coffee".- Yeah.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- But, of course, what's in the other one?- Water?
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Well, let's just have a little look and see what's going on inside.
0:10:22 > 0:10:28Well, first of all, right in the centre, that is to hold a hot iron.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Gosh.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32And that would have gone in the range in the kitchen,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34been sitting in the fire itself.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36That would go in there red hot.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39And the tube from the coffee
0:10:39 > 0:10:45actually does go through into this container, OK?
0:10:45 > 0:10:49And then we've got the external part of it,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53but let's just see what's going on in there and...
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Ah, did you know you'd got that?
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Wow, I didn't know that. I've never actually taken the lid off this.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05So, let's see whether you were right.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- What did you say?- Water.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- There we are, "water".- Wow.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13The principle, of course, would be
0:11:13 > 0:11:16you'd have strong coffee in the centre.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19The sort of really dark stuff.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- Yeah, the expresso type. - Expresso, exactly, you've got it.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25So you'd pour a little bit of the expresso
0:11:25 > 0:11:27and then you'd add hot water to taste.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Wow, gosh.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- That is brilliant.- Isn't it? I can't believe you found that.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36There we go.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40So, we've got a patented urn, an extraordinarily rare...
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I mean, it might even be...
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- It's always dangerous to say something's unique...- Mm.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- ..but there's a good chance of it here.- Gosh.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- Condition is going to go against it. - Yes.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54I would think that that has got to be worth at least £800.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Goodness!
0:11:56 > 0:11:58That's fantastic.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02This is an absolute little Deco delight.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Beautiful colour, beautiful shape, beautiful pattern,
0:12:05 > 0:12:06but where did it come from?
0:12:06 > 0:12:08A second-hand shop.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- Really?- Yeah.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- How much?- 19 pence.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- One-nine?- Yes!
0:12:14 > 0:12:16- 19 pence.- 19 pence, yes.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- I was robbed, wasn't I?- Absolutely.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Do you know who made it?
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Well, I sort of suspected,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25because his name's on the box, Lalique. But I didn't think
0:12:25 > 0:12:28it was actually Lalique, I thought it was an imitation.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Well, don't doubt yourself, you are absolutely right.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33Yay!
0:12:33 > 0:12:37This little box was designed in 1923
0:12:37 > 0:12:39by the great master Rene Lalique
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and actually, just here,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43in amongst the design, is that name -
0:12:43 > 0:12:46R Lalique - but actually made for him
0:12:46 > 0:12:49by a gentleman called Eduard Fornells Marco,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51who dealt with all of Lalique's plastics,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and he was a designer working in this period
0:12:54 > 0:12:59for some of the major Paris houses like Roger et Gallet, Coty.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02And here we have one of his wonderful little boxes.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04SHE SQUEALS, PEOPLE LAUGH
0:13:04 > 0:13:06The pattern is called cerise,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09because we've got cherries,
0:13:09 > 0:13:10and what we actually have, though,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14is a wonderful little lady's powder box
0:13:14 > 0:13:16which would have been used for,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19you know, a little powder puff or loose powder,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and it's an absolute little gem.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- Oh, brilliant! - Now, we see the glass all the time,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- but the plastics are rare.- Oh, wow!
0:13:28 > 0:13:29- So, 19 pence.- Yep.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Would you be surprised if I told you
0:13:33 > 0:13:34it's worth £500?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40No, I'd be delighted! Wow.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- Actually, I'm teasing you a little bit.- Oh! All right.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- It's not worth 500.- It's not.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45It's worth 1,000.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Oh, my goodness!
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Excuse me, I'm going to faint...
0:13:50 > 0:13:53A thousand pound?
0:13:53 > 0:13:55It is a super-rare little thing
0:13:55 > 0:13:58that lots of people want to own.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01Well, I'm so glad I've got it.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Of course, I'll never sell it. Ahem!
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- Next time, can I come shopping with you?- Yes!
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Thank you very much.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13Oh, brilliant!
0:14:15 > 0:14:19This was in my grandparents' home,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23which is called the Royal Hotel in Liverpool,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but it's actually known generally as the Arkles
0:14:26 > 0:14:27because it's in Arkles Lane,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31and it's right next door to Liverpool Football Club's stadium,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34so it's a very well-known pub.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37My grandfather was the publican there for 50 years.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40What I find very interesting about this dish is
0:14:40 > 0:14:44it's about the same date as these buildings all around us.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- Oh, is it?- About the same date as the village,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49it dates from around about 1870, 1880.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51It's Japanese porcelain.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53It's called Imari porcelain,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56called that... It was exported from the port of Imari,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00and Imari porcelain - the term now defines a whole range of porcelains
0:15:00 > 0:15:04which are decorated in gold, red and underglazed blue, like on this.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07It was very, very fashionable
0:15:07 > 0:15:10at the end of the 19th century
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and if you look at it closely, you've got fans,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15flowers - you've got a chrysanthemum flower head here,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17we've got prunus sprays,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20all sorts of things which are ever-so-typically Japanese.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22It is a very large dish
0:15:22 > 0:15:24and I wouldn't want to carry it here on a day like this,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26but you do get them this big, this big,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and there's one in the Victoria and Albert Museum about this big.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31How they fired it I have no idea. Astonishing thing.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Lots of Japanese Imari porcelain was made,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and it was made for export, for us foreigners.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Round about 30 years ago,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42these Imari dishes were worth round about £10 an inch,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and we see so many of them, that's really how we valued them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:4630 years later
0:15:46 > 0:15:47it's about double that now,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50it hasn't gone up enormously, it's now about £20 an inch,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52so a dish like this, at auction,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- round about £500.- Oh, well...
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I like it, so...
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It's an amazing piece of family history.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It is a piece of... That's why I've kept it,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- because it is a piece of family history.- Yeah.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13I'm very excited to be holding this - an Olympic torch.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15How did you come by it?
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It belongs to my daughter-in-law
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and she was running with the torch in Pwllheli, in North Wales.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22And how did she come to be chosen?
0:16:22 > 0:16:27She is chairwoman of the Women's Aid in Deeside in North Wales
0:16:27 > 0:16:28and they nominated her.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30So the domestic-violence charity?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Yes.- Now, I took this along to our experts on the miscellaneous table.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I have to say, they all wanted their photograph taken with it as well
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and I asked Jon Baddeley about this.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Now, he was telling me that the question of how much it's worth
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- is a bit like saying how long is a piece of string.- Yes.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I mean, in 1936, for example, at that Olympics,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53torches that were used then are now selling, he said,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55for about £3,000 or £4,000.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58But it's impossible to value this.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- But I've always wanted to have my moment. Do you mind?- No.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Make way!
0:17:05 > 0:17:07LAUGHTER
0:17:17 > 0:17:20OK, here we are outside the Lady Lever Art Gallery
0:17:20 > 0:17:24and before me are two of the most beautiful Derby figures
0:17:24 > 0:17:25I've ever seen in my life.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Yes, they're fantastic, aren't they?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And they were collected by William Hesketh Lever
0:17:31 > 0:17:34when he was still quite a young man in the 1870s
0:17:34 > 0:17:36and he would have just been in his 20s then
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and when, 50 years later,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41he opened the Lady Lever Art Gallery,
0:17:41 > 0:17:46he made sure these two wonderful pieces were on display,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48and we actually have a photograph...
0:17:48 > 0:17:50- How wonderful.- ..of Lever here,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52when the gallery opened in 1922,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54admiring these wonderful figures.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56And there they are, yeah.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59I must say, he showed incredible discernment for one so young,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01but in view of what he achieved subsequently,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- I don't suppose we should be too surprised.- No, he turned out
0:18:04 > 0:18:06to be a fantastic collector.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Absolutely, but I mean, they're Derby, they're biscuit porcelain.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Biscuit porcelain is simply porcelain that's unglazed.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I expect there is an interesting mark underneath the bottom of them,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18there often is. Let's have a look on this one.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Doesn't give us a lot to go on
0:18:21 > 0:18:23but it simply says "No 395"
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and if you check the records,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28that is Derby's model number for this figure.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32They are amongst the most important Derby figures
0:18:32 > 0:18:35because of the correspondence in the 18th century
0:18:35 > 0:18:37between a man called Joseph Lygo,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40who was the Derby factory's agent in London,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44and William Dewsbury, who owned the factory and was back in Derby.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47And the letters tell us that these figures
0:18:47 > 0:18:50were modelled after 1793
0:18:50 > 0:18:54by a man called Jean-Jacques Spangler.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And Spangler was a bit of a rogue, a bit of a crook.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59He went to Derby in 1790,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03his work at Derby was interrupted by a short spell in prison.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- Oh.- So he really was a bit of a Jack-the-lad
0:19:06 > 0:19:09but clearly a very talented sculptor.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13What the letters also tell us, most particularly relating to the lady,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15is who she's meant to be
0:19:15 > 0:19:18and she's meant to be someone called Rosina.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24Rosina was the heroine in a novel published in 1785,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26written by someone called Frances Brooke,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29obviously a popular cultural figure at the time.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32So there's a lot of information about these particular figures
0:19:32 > 0:19:34that one doesn't normally find
0:19:34 > 0:19:37when talking about most 18th-century Derby figures,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39where we have so little information to go on.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Well, they are obviously an integral part of this museum,
0:19:43 > 0:19:44a very important part, and as such,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48it's probably inappropriate to start talking about value,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51but I'm an auctioneer and I can't resist it, I'm afraid.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54So I'm sorry, I'm going to have a go.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56One of these, the shepherd,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58without his girlfriend here,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00sold in a London auction in 2007
0:20:00 > 0:20:02for £5,000
0:20:02 > 0:20:04but it was quite restored.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08The Lever example is in generally much better condition
0:20:08 > 0:20:10therefore worth more.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11The lady, Rosina,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14I can't find any record of an example being sold anywhere,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17so I have to use my judgment on that
0:20:17 > 0:20:20but I think, in view of their importance
0:20:20 > 0:20:22and their extraordinary provenance,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26we're looking at £18,000 to £20,000 for them.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Bearing in mind most Derby figures just make a few hundred pounds,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32- that is a very high price for them. - Yes, yes. I think...
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- These are fabulous.- ..Lever chose a beautiful pair of figures, didn't he?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38He did. I think these are a testament to his taste
0:20:38 > 0:20:39and discernment, I really do.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's a great collection of chairs here.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I mean, are you a chair fetishist?
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I wouldn't say so, no. Chairs have got a practical application,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51needless to say - that's sitting in them - but also aesthetic value,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54so as far as my choice are concerned, I've always chosen chairs -
0:20:54 > 0:20:56"Would you have them in your lounge?"
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Right. We can't talk about all of them, sadly.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01There's simply not time, much as I'd like to.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04But let's choose... Well, I've chosen two in my mind.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07You tell me which two you'd like to pick out of the six.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Well, my first acquisition was this French chair,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12of which there is a set of four...
0:21:12 > 0:21:17- Right.- ..at a very provincial house auction in Cheshire.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19And I've always admired them but I don't know anything
0:21:19 > 0:21:21about the pedigree of these chairs, shall we call it?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24OK. What's the other one you want to talk about?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Well, this one I do like the style of,
0:21:26 > 0:21:32in terms that it's got that late-1700s look to them,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36but I'd like that to be verified as being what they are.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Well, let's do a deal. We can only talk about two.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- You've chosen one that I want to talk about.- Excellent.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43And you chose one I'm happy to talk about.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46One thing which might interest you
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and might, when you work it out, disappoint you
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- is that they are arranged in a certain order.- Ah.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Can you guess? It's not supposed to be a trick question, but...
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I think it could... Could it be...?
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Not age?
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- It is age.- It is age?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02When they were actually made.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03- How interesting.- The trouble is,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05we start on the right,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- on that side... - That's the oldest one?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09..the 17th-century chair
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- and we end up with your choice...- Right.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- ..which is a reproduction French chair.- Indeed.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16One of a set of four.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17Indeed, yes, yes.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But the upholstery is 18th century.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Ah, right.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25It's a very nice 18th-century upholstery here
0:22:25 > 0:22:28but the frame is absolutely typical
0:22:28 > 0:22:30of a Louis XV chair
0:22:30 > 0:22:32about 1735-1755.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Very nice-quality walnut, they're sometimes beech,
0:22:35 > 0:22:36there's a tiny bit of gilding
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- which you can hardly see. - Yes, more prominent on the legs.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Which you never really get in an 18th-century chair.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Sometimes they were painted, sometimes they were just waxed up.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Right. So the year of production?
0:22:47 > 0:22:4920th century.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Oh, as recent as that?
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- Yeah, 1910, 1920.- Right.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- I still like them.- OK. - Thank you.- Let's go back.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57We're going to Arts and Crafts here,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00we've got sort of Flemish 17th-century style here,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02lovely Edwardian Sheraton chair here
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and now this one. This is the other one you picked
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and the one I'd like to talk about.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08- They are incredibly difficult to date.- Really?
0:23:08 > 0:23:09It's an Irish chair.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- Oh, an Irish chair?- Irish chair,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- Irish Georgian.- Really?
0:23:13 > 0:23:14So when the English settled there
0:23:14 > 0:23:18and they made furniture in the English style, the Georgian style.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21So it is, to all intents and purposes, in quotes,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23"a Chippendale chair". The most typical thing is the feet.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25I won't reach down there, but the paw feet
0:23:25 > 0:23:27is very typical of southern Ireland,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- probably the Cork area. - How interesting.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32The most obvious thing, you can just see
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- that lovely piece of mahogany veneer there.- Yes.- It's typical
0:23:35 > 0:23:38as they couldn't afford solid mahogany as we'd have in England.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39It was very expensive to import.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42A reproduction chair would almost certainly be solid mahogany.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- Oh.- That's one of the giveaways.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Right, so this is genuine?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Genuine Irish chair.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- Very old chairs.- Yeah, very nice.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Did they cost you a lot of money?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53These were bought about ten years ago.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56These were about... about £1,000 for those two.
0:23:56 > 0:24:02Irish furniture was very expensive about ten years ago.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I'm afraid today they're only worth, the pair,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08£1,000 each.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Oh. That's an improvement, isn't it?
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- That's an improvement. - It's not too bad.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- No, definitely.- You've doubled your money.- There we are.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Now, these we now know
0:24:16 > 0:24:20- are 20th-century chairs with lovely upholstery.- Yes.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- Harder to value. Do you remember what you paid for those?- I would say
0:24:24 > 0:24:26it was something around £700, £800,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- it wouldn't be much more than that. - Not each?- No, the set.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Anyway, value of those today.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I would say you'd have a job to get those now
0:24:35 > 0:24:38for under about £2,500 for the set.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Oh, really?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Yes, yeah. £2,500 for the set.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- That's still a healthy sum of money, isn't it?- Yeah, it is.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52This brightly coloured oil painting of St Michael's Mount
0:24:52 > 0:24:54is clearly signed "S J Lamorna Birch"
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and it really feels that the artist
0:24:57 > 0:24:58is giving us
0:24:58 > 0:25:00a pictorial advert.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02We're invited to this landscape.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04In fact, I want to be
0:25:04 > 0:25:05in this particular place.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09The colour's exaggerated but it's very, very beautiful.
0:25:09 > 0:25:10What do you know about the picture?
0:25:10 > 0:25:13It belonged to my grandmother's family.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15She was apparently a friend of the artist, Lamorna Birch,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and part of the sort of Liverpool artistic circle.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20We have bits and pieces from other artists as well.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Of course, he was a local man initially.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25He was born in Wallasey, wasn't he?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27In Egremont, Wallasey, that's right.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Yes, and he was self-taught
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and he went down to Cornwall at the age of 20
0:25:31 > 0:25:34trying to make a living as an artist.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38He was one of ten children so he had to make the money, too.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41But people like Samuel John Lamorna Birch
0:25:41 > 0:25:44were artists who really popularised Cornwall,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47places like Lamorna, they became great tourist attractions.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50So, he arrived there about 1890,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52he went off to Paris for a little period of time
0:25:52 > 0:25:55but he came back and lived at Lamorna,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58hence the name Samuel John "Lamorna" Birch.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Very often, painters like Birch would create these pictures
0:26:01 > 0:26:03for mass-produced machine prints,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07which then every household could own, as they'd be relatively cheap,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09and it would encourage people to come to Cornwall.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12So many places like Mousehole, Lamorna,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16- were popularised through artists like "Lamorna" Birch.- I see.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Of course, this is a rather extensive landscape painting,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21predominantly a landscape painting.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23We're looking right across to St Michael's Mount.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26It's sun-drenched. And there's a little human element to it.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28If you look right in the foreground, to the right,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31there's a little cottage door open
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and to the left, just by the watermill,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36there's a little figure collecting water,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38so just only a few steps to gather your own water
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and take it back to the cottage.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It's rather nice, he's added that human element.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45So this is a really lovely picture you've inherited,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- it's in brilliant condition. - Thank you.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51I mean, this is certainly going to be worth £7,000 to £10,000.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Oh, that's very gratifying.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And with a really beautiful frame on it,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58it could be £8,000 to £12,000.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- Oh, worth investing in a good frame, then.- Absolutely.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Well, thank you very much. Thanks for your interest in it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Port Sunlight is just three miles from Liverpool - over the water -
0:27:09 > 0:27:12so of course we were hoping we'd get some Beatles memorabilia,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and some has turned up, courtesy of you two.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- You're sisters, is that right?- Yes.- Yes.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Now, there's a story about an autograph on an arm.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22I had John Lennon's autograph on my arm.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25We all went to the Assembly Hall in Mold to see the Beatles
0:27:25 > 0:27:27and after the show, we went for autographs
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and as we all queued up, the Beatles were sat,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33John Lennon was giving everyone an autograph on their arm.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35And did you go along as well,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- to the concert, to see the Beatles? - No, I wasn't allowed to go.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40My mum said I was too young to go.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42That's why I claimed the autographs.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44So you got some autographs the same night, did you?
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I've got all the Beatles' autographs at home, but, yes,
0:27:47 > 0:27:48the whole set, the same night, yes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52So you got an autograph on your arm from John Lennon.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54You weren't able to go, because you were too small,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57so you got for your dear sister these autographs here.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- Well, so she says.- Correct!
0:27:59 > 0:28:01But I got them for myself at the time!
0:28:01 > 0:28:03They were my autographs.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05So hang on, let's get this clear,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08because one of our experts has looked at these autographs
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and given them a value. So before I tell you...
0:28:11 > 0:28:13- We're going to share it.- Are you?
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Yes, we promised we'd share it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18This one here, which has all four Beatles
0:28:18 > 0:28:21and it's written so clearly, look -
0:28:21 > 0:28:24"Ringo, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney" -
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Jon Baddeley's had a look at these and reckons this one
0:28:27 > 0:28:30is probably worth £1,500 to £2,000.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32GASPS, LAUGHTER
0:28:32 > 0:28:34So now who do they belong to?
0:28:34 > 0:28:36- Me!- I've always said we'll share it.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38So, whose house are they in now?
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Mine.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Well, that's handy, isn't it?
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Yes. I keep saying nine-tenths of the law.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47This may be the last time you see these autographs.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50I know, it might be. I've got a key to the house, though.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56I have to ask you - are you a budgie fancier?
0:28:56 > 0:28:59- Not really, no.- So why have this enormous vase with budgies on?
0:28:59 > 0:29:01It was given to my mum
0:29:01 > 0:29:04about 40 years ago by a neighbour.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07There were two of them and they gave us this one
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and it sat on the porch of our house
0:29:10 > 0:29:12for about ten years, outdoors, in all weathers.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14- Outdoors?- Yes.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Well, I have to say... I think the best word,
0:29:17 > 0:29:18it's a monumental vase.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22It's dated 1885 just inside the lip
0:29:22 > 0:29:26and I think it's probably safe to say it was almost certainly
0:29:26 > 0:29:29made for an exhibition. There were a number of exhibitions in 1885,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31one in New Zealand, for instance,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34and this is very much the sort of thing Doulton would have made
0:29:34 > 0:29:35to go on their stand at exhibition
0:29:35 > 0:29:38to say, "Look, this is the sort of thing we can make."
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Because this is bigger than your average vase.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42It's by two artists,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Florence Barlow and Fred Butler,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47who've both signed at the top, very typical for Doulton.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48I think what's interesting
0:29:48 > 0:29:51is that Florence Barlow and her sister Hannah,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54who were quite well known at the factory, they were unusual
0:29:54 > 0:29:57because at that time, most artists on ceramics were men.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00And it's interesting that here is Florence Barlow,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02if you like, the main star of the piece,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04the main artist as a woman,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and Fred Butler has done the subsidiary decoration.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10So this is an early example of women's lib in pottery.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11But I think it's a great thing.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16This decoration is done painting with liquid clay, with slip,
0:30:16 > 0:30:17called pate sur pate,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21which is a French term just meaning, basically, "layer upon layer,"
0:30:21 > 0:30:24and it's very difficult. She's got these birds beautifully.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26The Barlows were both from the country.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31I think the Barlows always seemed to capture the essence of nature.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- So there was two of them at one time?- Yes, there were.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37I suppose they're always worth more together
0:30:37 > 0:30:39but you have one on its own. And something's gone on here.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41I don't know how that happened.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43- It's always been there? - It's always been there.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Well, it's been damaged, there's nothing you can do about that,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49but it is a good vase by two good artists,
0:30:49 > 0:30:50it's a very good size
0:30:50 > 0:30:53- and it's worth a reasonable amount of money.- Really?
0:30:53 > 0:30:55At auction today, this would sell
0:30:55 > 0:30:56- for £2,000.- Really?
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Wow. Fantastic.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02MUSIC: "A Little Rain Must Fall" by Al Bowlly
0:31:02 > 0:31:06# To bring the rainbow back to you
0:31:06 > 0:31:10# A little rain must fall. #
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Tattooing used to be associated
0:31:17 > 0:31:20with soldiers, sailors, bikers
0:31:20 > 0:31:22and what used to be called
0:31:22 > 0:31:24"the lower classes".
0:31:24 > 0:31:27I think that is a bit of a misconception with our industry
0:31:27 > 0:31:30and in fact, at the period of the poster,
0:31:30 > 0:31:3375% of nobility were tattooed.
0:31:33 > 0:31:34Gosh.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38So us lowly commoners couldn't actually afford to be tattooed.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Let's look at this poster, which is our backdrop. "Don Manuelo" -
0:31:43 > 0:31:44he is a muscle man,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47"the best-tattooed muscle man
0:31:47 > 0:31:48"in the world".
0:31:48 > 0:31:51He's covered head to foot, body, back, neck.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56Don Manuelo was late 1800s
0:31:56 > 0:31:57but during this era,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01he made a very handsome living from working at a carnival.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05I mean, I see some of these motifs on scrimshaw
0:32:05 > 0:32:07and other forms of carving,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and, I mean, this is a rare thing.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13I mean, for a poster of sort of the 1880s, 1890s to survive
0:32:13 > 0:32:15depicting a very rare subject
0:32:15 > 0:32:17is really quite breathtaking.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20I was really excited when you turned up with it. Look,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23- can we open this box?- Certainly. - Because these are the tools
0:32:23 > 0:32:26involved in really making tattoos of this type.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28- Yes.- And I mean,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31I guess this is contemporary with the poster,
0:32:31 > 0:32:32sort of late 19th century.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36- Correct, yeah.- Now, we've got a sort of business card
0:32:36 > 0:32:38with "George Burchett".
0:32:38 > 0:32:39George Burchett was known as
0:32:39 > 0:32:41the king of tattoo artists,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43because he tattooed King George,
0:32:43 > 0:32:47he had the King of Denmark flying over to be tattooed.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49So what have we got in here?
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Run us through it.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52When we look through, we have...
0:32:52 > 0:32:56As you can see, these would have been the needles
0:32:56 > 0:32:57that George would have been using,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00could have even been the needles he used on the king.
0:33:00 > 0:33:01Look at the size of those.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I must say, I'm slightly grimacing!
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Yeah, they'd be old sewing needles.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08This would have been a design,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11very patriotic, with the British...
0:33:11 > 0:33:13There's a girl's name,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16obviously, perhaps somebody he was betrothed to,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19perhaps a sailor? "1916, Sarah."
0:33:19 > 0:33:23- And this looks like it's been used. - This would have been a transfer.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26They would have carboned the ink onto the reverse of the transfer.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28And what we do have here
0:33:28 > 0:33:31is a very beautiful hand-drawn piece.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32A picture of a lady.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35She wouldn't have a tattoo, would she?
0:33:35 > 0:33:36Oh, in these days,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39you'd be absolutely amazed,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41because I have a friend who's a mortician
0:33:41 > 0:33:43and he said he's amazed with the amount of the old girls
0:33:43 > 0:33:46that are sadly passing away at the moment, how many of them...
0:33:46 > 0:33:49- He sees what nobody else does. - ..have got back pieces.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Because in this era, people didn't show any flesh,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54didn't show the tattoos,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56so people were more tattooed than what we thought.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Of course today, the very opposite,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00we show a lot more flesh,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04we go on holiday and people like to show off a little ankle tattoo
0:34:04 > 0:34:07or just a little subtle tattoo somewhere. I must say,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I rather like it. I haven't got any tattoos myself...
0:34:10 > 0:34:12We can soon sort that out!
0:34:12 > 0:34:14I'll see you later!
0:34:15 > 0:34:17That's fascinating. Look, I mean,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21very, very rare. I can't think the Roadshow has ever featured items
0:34:21 > 0:34:24to do with the art of tattooing,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26so it's a very exciting moment
0:34:26 > 0:34:29and we've got to basically boil down to values.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31If this came up for auction,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33I would anticipate it would make
0:34:33 > 0:34:36somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000
0:34:36 > 0:34:39and probably a figure not far off for the box
0:34:39 > 0:34:41with the right audience and the right sale,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44certainly 2,000 or 3,000, maybe a little bit more.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48I think that at that price, I would buy them every single day.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50You would say that, wouldn't you?
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Standing in front of this luminescent work of art,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00it feels as though we've just
0:35:00 > 0:35:02walked into a Sienese chapel.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Is this where it's come from?
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Not really, or at least, not where we got it from.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10We found it in Kent
0:35:10 > 0:35:12in a church in Deal.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14In a church?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17So how did you get it out of the church?
0:35:18 > 0:35:21It was in a very exposed position
0:35:21 > 0:35:24in a porch with an open entranceway,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27so the weather was getting at it.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30We mentioned this to the priest, and the upshot was
0:35:30 > 0:35:31we were given the painting.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33And that was how long ago?
0:35:33 > 0:35:3535, 40 years ago.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37So you've had this time to contemplate it.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42What do you think you have found here, in your church, that is
0:35:42 > 0:35:44now in your possession?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48One of two things.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53It could either be a genuine Sienese painting,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56or it could be a much, much later forgery.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Have you canvassed views on whether it's one or the other?
0:36:00 > 0:36:04We have, and we've had conflicting opinions. Both opinions.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Obviously the image before us is quite clear.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08This is the Virgin -
0:36:08 > 0:36:10rather beautifully presented.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Next to her is the Christ Child.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17There's a figure in the back left which looks like Joseph
0:36:17 > 0:36:19and this slightly John the Baptist- looking figure.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Yes, indeed.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24OK, we are talking about a Sienese painting -
0:36:24 > 0:36:27or what purports to be Sienese art.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31This was one of the cradles of the Renaissance.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Some of the greatest artists who ever lived - people like
0:36:35 > 0:36:40Duccio, Lorenzetti, Simone Martini - were all at work producing
0:36:40 > 0:36:43a whole new way of seeing and feeling in art in the 14th century.
0:36:43 > 0:36:48And then this continued into the 15th century, where the style of
0:36:48 > 0:36:52this picture suggests that this may rest somewhere in the 15th century.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Now, the question is -
0:36:54 > 0:36:57is it a 19th-century fake or is it a Renaissance original?
0:36:57 > 0:36:59I agree.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Well, the thing that really puts one off -
0:37:03 > 0:37:07although there are some marvellous facial expressions -
0:37:07 > 0:37:12is this sort of dragged and rolled, this sponged background.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14I mean, have you contemplated what that might be?
0:37:14 > 0:37:17I thought it had gold on it and the gold had been stripped off.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19No idea.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24Well, with the benefit of this slightly rainy light that is
0:37:24 > 0:37:29pouring upon us, I've been having a really good look at it,
0:37:29 > 0:37:35and what to me is the clinching, the deciding element
0:37:35 > 0:37:39is just to the left of the head of what looks like John the Baptist.
0:37:39 > 0:37:47And there - small, fragmentary - is a remaining bit of gold,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50and that to me indicates unequivocally that the whole
0:37:50 > 0:37:54- background was actually covered in gold.- Good heavens.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58And this is just the remaining fingerprint of its history.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02So with the benefit of considering that gold and then
0:38:02 > 0:38:07looking at the rest of the picture and the gnarled, ancient paint -
0:38:07 > 0:38:11there's a real crusty quality to it which I find convincing.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15And also I'm looking at the frame itself, which has been restored,
0:38:15 > 0:38:20but it's integral, it's part of the panel, it's all made in one piece.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I'm convinced this is a Renaissance work of art.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25No!
0:38:25 > 0:38:31I think you have here - and you found it in your local church,
0:38:31 > 0:38:37which I find so poignant - you have here a very significant painting.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42As to valuation, well, I think on the basis of its appearance now -
0:38:42 > 0:38:46yes, it's a little bit damaged, but it's still a beautiful object
0:38:46 > 0:38:48and it carries extremely well -
0:38:48 > 0:38:50I would think about £25,000.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Wow.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Now, if it were in good condition,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00we'd be talking a tremendous amount more.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Thank you very much indeed.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Thank you very much, I'm much more pleased that you think it's genuine
0:39:08 > 0:39:10than that it's worth x thousand pounds.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Thank you very much indeed.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Now, this folio volume has seen better days, it has to be said.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Can you give me any sort of explanation for its condition?
0:39:20 > 0:39:21I can, yes.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23It was housed in a building in Liverpool that was
0:39:23 > 0:39:27bombed during the Second World War and went on fire,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30and the resultant covering has been charred.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Yes, it's been in a fire, certainly.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35- It would have had a flap that went over there originally...- Yes.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38..and fastened into there. Let's have a look inside.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46It's a folio volume, it's hand written on vellum and the title page says,
0:39:46 > 0:39:53"Deed of Settlement of the Liverpool Race Course Proprietary, 1838."
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Now, that is really early for Liverpool Race Course.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Got anything you can tell me about it?
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Not a great deal, unfortunately.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06It was given to me last year - unfortunately my mum passed away,
0:40:06 > 0:40:08and it was in a box with lots of items.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10My sister tells me that my dad had it.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14He worked in a solicitor's office in Liverpool and after it was...
0:40:14 > 0:40:18the building it was housed in was bombed, he took care of it,
0:40:18 > 0:40:19basically.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20Right, well, I'm glad he did.
0:40:20 > 0:40:26I see this as a very important foundation document for Aintree.
0:40:26 > 0:40:32Before this date, 1838, there is still controversy as to the races
0:40:32 > 0:40:35and where they were held and whether they were actually
0:40:35 > 0:40:41the Liverpool races, so this settled the race course in one place, and in
0:40:41 > 0:40:471839 - the following year - it's now seen as the very first Aintree race.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Now if that isn't important, I don't know what is.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Let's have a further look at this document.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56So, there's the title page, here are the details saying
0:40:56 > 0:40:59an agreement has been drawn up between these various people
0:40:59 > 0:41:02here, and there's about half a dozen names there.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06It then goes on - all the minutiae -
0:41:06 > 0:41:10and right at the end we've
0:41:10 > 0:41:13got a list of the people who bought shares.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Someone's helpfully marked in 57 shares -
0:41:16 > 0:41:19that's a very small number, I would have thought, by today's standards.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21And we've got some - I've counted them up -
0:41:21 > 0:41:25some 40 names there who had those 57 shares.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30I see this as the beginning of history as far as
0:41:30 > 0:41:34Liverpool Race Course is concerned and it is very important therefore.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36And it has a value.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40I think it would be very desirable - obviously particularly to some racehorse museum
0:41:40 > 0:41:42or to Liverpool - and I think if this came up in auction,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45we'd be looking at a price between £7,000 and £10,000.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Wow. Gosh.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- What a find. - Isn't it? Wow.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Some of the strangest things do turn up at the Antiques Roadshow.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58I think you're going to need to tell me what this is.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Yes, it's a reaction control system engine, or RCS thruster,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05to the man in the street, and it was used for the Apollo moon landing.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09So this is the little device that sits on the lunar module?
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Yeah, they're kind of clustered in groups of four,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15there are 16 in total, and they use these to make minor changes on the
0:42:15 > 0:42:19approach to land on the moon or when they're coming back up into lunar orbit.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21So every little boy of that era - although I have to say
0:42:21 > 0:42:24I can't imagine you were ever a LITTLE boy, but...
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Even in those days I was slightly taller than average, yes,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29but, no, I think I was one of many, many children who wrote to NASA in
0:42:29 > 0:42:33those days, and they sent me various pictures and brochures back and then
0:42:33 > 0:42:37over the following 15 years I wrote about 500 letters to every man
0:42:37 > 0:42:41that would read it, and out of the blue I got a letter from a chap in
0:42:41 > 0:42:44California saying, "We're going to send you an Apollo rocket engine."
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- "And don't ever send us another letter"!- Yeah, well, basically.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50And I kind of thought, "I'll believe it when I see it."
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Three weeks later it turned up in a brown box.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Fantastic. And obviously this didn't go to the moon because they didn't come back.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00No, this one was built in 1965, it was part of the development programme.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02All the ones that went to the moon stayed in space.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06And we can actually see in these photos how they're positioned on the lunar module.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09There's a great shot here of one with the stars and stripes beyond.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Yes, that's the view out of the lunar module pilot's window.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14And who took this photo?
0:43:14 > 0:43:16It was by one of two chaps - either Gene Cernan,
0:43:16 > 0:43:21the last man to walk on the moon, or Harrison Schmitt, the second-to-last man.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25- So there can't be many of these about.- I think there's a few in exhibitions in the States,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28various museums and probably a handful in private ownership.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30And so was this used in any kind of way, this particular one?
0:43:30 > 0:43:33I think it was used for testing in 1965.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35It was probably test-fired as part of the programme.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38I have to tell you, I have no idea what it's worth.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40So this is a rare moment, you're going to have to tell ME
0:43:40 > 0:43:42what it's worth and I'm going to look surprised.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45OK. Well, a complete kind of flight-ready version I think
0:43:45 > 0:43:49sold about two or three years ago for around 30,000.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52This one, in this condition, is worth around about 8,000.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Which is somewhere around £5,000, £6,000, I suppose.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Yeah, in the current exchange rate.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59Gosh. Well, next time one turns up, I think I'll know.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- OK. Just give me a call. - OK, thank you very much, thanks.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10What I want to know is when is the last time you visited the Lady Lever Art Gallery?
0:44:10 > 0:44:14- Last Monday.- Last Monday?!
0:44:14 > 0:44:16- I come once a week.- Really?
0:44:16 > 0:44:18- I live in the village.- Fantastic.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21First time I went there was yesterday evening,
0:44:21 > 0:44:23and we were given a fabulous tour.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27I always knew there was a great collection there, but the cloisonne enamels,
0:44:27 > 0:44:30the Chinese cloisonne enamels in the gallery there, are astonishing.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33- I know.- So you've looked at them,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36and so that must mean you have some idea about what these might be.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40Well, I know where they come from, so I know they come from China.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Yeah, they're Chinese.
0:44:42 > 0:44:43But never really thought of
0:44:43 > 0:44:46going into the history of the ones in the gallery.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Well, I am so pleased you brought these along.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51What is in the gallery are some of the finest Imperial
0:44:51 > 0:44:54cloisonnes you're ever likely to find,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57but these two pieces are really
0:44:57 > 0:44:59fabulous things to see on a Roadshow.
0:44:59 > 0:45:04Cloisonne's been made in China for a very, very long period of time.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Dating it isn't always very easy, and these are different dates.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11- Any idea which might be the earlier? - I think that that is earlier,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15because when I was given them 30 years ago
0:45:15 > 0:45:18I actually did some reading about them.
0:45:18 > 0:45:24The colours that were used in that period,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27there wasn't much white, and there's white in this one,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30so I think that one must be earlier, I don't know.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Well, you're quite right in a way. It is down to the colours.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35You see, this one has got some pink enamel in it.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37You don't see pink enamel being used in China
0:45:37 > 0:45:41before round about 1720, so we know it's after that.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43You are right, this is the earlier piece,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45and if we have a look at it,
0:45:45 > 0:45:48this also has the marks on the bottom.
0:45:48 > 0:45:49I have no idea what that means.
0:45:49 > 0:45:50OK, well, I'll tell you,
0:45:50 > 0:45:53but you tell me how you got them first.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Oh, my father-in-law gave them to me.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59We were living then in South Africa, and when he found out
0:45:59 > 0:46:03I was pregnant, he gave them to me as a gift because he said that I was
0:46:03 > 0:46:06the only one interested in broken goods, and they were both damaged.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Well, they are pretty bust.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11This one looks like you've been hammering in nails with it.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14- No, that was like that when I got it.- Really?
0:46:14 > 0:46:15So they've travelled with you ever since.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Yes, they've been in six different countries, yes.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Fabulous. Back to this mark on the bottom.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24- You've never tried to look this one up?- No.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29I'll just - so you can see... Four-character mark there.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31- You can read it, can't you? - SHE RESPONDS
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Exactly, Chien Lung. It's a Chien Lung four-character mark.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Chien Lung was the Emperor of China and arguably one of the most
0:46:37 > 0:46:40important emperors of China there ever has been.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43He reigned from 1736 to 1795.
0:46:43 > 0:46:49We can date that pretty accurately to the middle of the 18th century.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Wow. No, I didn't know that it was that old, no.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56This one, the colours are slightly different.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59We've got this very bright blue enamel you can see in the border here.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02This one dates probably to the next reign,
0:47:02 > 0:47:07the Jiaqing reign, which was from 1796 to 1820 or '21.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11Both are cloisonne enamel, which means they've soldered wires
0:47:11 > 0:47:14onto a copper base, and then they've floated in different colours
0:47:14 > 0:47:17of what effectively is glass, then it's been fired and ground off.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20But the quality of the work here is astonishing.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24It's really very, very good, it's Imperial quality,
0:47:24 > 0:47:29and so from a collector's point of view, they are really quite important things.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Having said that, they're very damaged,
0:47:31 > 0:47:36- but I assume you want to know what they're worth.- Well, yes.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41I hope never to sell them, but, you know, I would like to know.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45Yeah. I mean, this one, I suppose, if you put that in a specialist Chinese auction,
0:47:45 > 0:47:49would fetch between maybe £5,000 and £8,000.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55This one, I think somewhere between maybe £20,000 and £25,000.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57GASPS FROM CROWD
0:48:01 > 0:48:03They're very good things.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07OK...!
0:48:11 > 0:48:15It has hardly stopped raining here at Port Sunlight all day,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18but how fitting to close a programme with this lovely
0:48:18 > 0:48:21umbrella - and not just any old umbrella - but this umbrella
0:48:21 > 0:48:24which commemorates the Coronation of Queen Victoria.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Gold, blue enamel, a beautiful hand-painted portrait of her
0:48:27 > 0:48:29on the handle.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32We know how to do things here on the Antiques Roadshow!
0:48:32 > 0:48:33From Port Sunlight and all the team
0:48:33 > 0:48:37and all the very wet people of Port Sunlight...
0:48:38 > 0:48:40..until next time, bye-bye.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50Subtitles by Ericsson