A guest on the BBC's popular Antiques Roadshow was left completely stunned after discovering the substantial value of a painting created by one of Northern Ireland's most celebrated artists. The revelation came during a recent episode filmed at Shuttleworth House in Bedfordshire, where local residents brought their cherished possessions and artwork for professional evaluation by the show's team of specialists.
During the program, art expert Frances Christie examined a vibrant piece by pioneering artist Gladys Maccabe. "This is such a vibrant scene of loads of people gathered on a beach with lots of children riding on horses. It's unmistakably the style of someone called Gladys Maccabe, who was probably Northern Ireland's most famous 20th-century artist," Christie explained as she studied the colorful artwork.
The guest revealed that the painting had previously belonged to an elderly couple who were close friends of her parents. "When they passed away, we were invited to choose an item that we'd like to keep and that just appealed to me," she shared, explaining how the artwork came into her possession.
Christie provided extensive background information about the renowned artist, emphasizing her significant contributions to the art world. "Color and life, that is what Gladys Maccabe was all about. She was quite a pioneering artist for her time. She nearly lived to the age of 100, she was born at the end of the First World War, so 1918," the expert detailed. Christie explained that Maccabe studied at an art college in Belfast shortly before World War II, where she truly "came of age" as an artist.
The art specialist highlighted Maccabe's important role in promoting female artists in Northern Ireland. "She was a pretty amazing person, she really recognized in Northern Ireland that there was a wealth of female talent and so she founded something called the Ulster Society of Women Artists, and she was its first president. So, she was a real promoter of her fellow artists," Christie noted, emphasizing the artist's pioneering spirit and dedication to supporting other women in the arts.
Analyzing the specific characteristics of the painting, Christie provided detailed technical commentary about Maccabe's distinctive style. "It's very typical for her style. It's oil on board. She was really confident with her color and her line," the expert observed. She continued her analysis, noting how "She's used a black pigment to highlight the shapes of the horses and the people, and then she's used lots of different bright strokes to bring out the colors of both the sea in the background and the shore in the foreground."
Christie further elaborated on the painting's composition, describing it as having "almost like a panoramic pattern of clothes in the midground, and I think it really draws you in." Her detailed technical analysis demonstrated the sophistication and appeal of Maccabe's artistic technique.
The valuation moment provided the episode's dramatic climax when Christie revealed that the artwork could potentially achieve between $1,200 to $1,800 at auction, leaving the guest utterly speechless at the unexpected value. "Well chosen!" the expert declared enthusiastically, to which the amazed guest responded: "Okay, good! Yes, it is, yeah. Thank you very much." The significant valuation highlighted both the artistic merit of Maccabe's work and the guest's fortunate choice when selecting a keepsake from her parents' friends' collection.
