BBC Antiques Roadshow expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan was left blown away when one guest brought along a small sculpture for which he praised her.
In the classic episode from Glasgow’s Pollok Park, which airs once again this weekend, several items caught the eye, with Archer-Morgan’s co-star Marc Allum looking to the skies for a valuation of an important telescope linked to early astronomical exploration.
Hilary Kay was intrigued by sporting memorabilia with a link to Hibernian football club and was also stunned to see an extensive collection of rare clothing by fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who died in 2010.
Meanwhile, Mark Smith was moved by a serviceman’s photographs of the aftermath of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in the Second World War.
However, it was Archer-Morgan who was left blown away by a small but impactful piece of sculpture that was well-loved by the owner.
Taking a look at the sculpture on the table, Archer-Morgan noted: “Such lovely energy, this little bronze head. What does it mean to you?”
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The guest explained: “Well, I bought this here today just so I could find out as much as information as possible.
“We were at this antique fair, and I saw this, and the antique dealer had it in a locked cabinet. So I said to my husband, I like that.
“It was quite expensive. I thought about it and went back the next day and bought it. I paid 168 Swiss Francs.
“The reason why I bought it was because for me, when I look at that, it represents black art and culture and that is what I am particularly interested in, seeing black people represented in such a beautiful way and that’s why I bought it.”
Blown away with the reasoning behind buying the sculpture and delving into its history, Archer-Morgan explained: “That is the perfect reason for buying it.
“I am seeing there is a foundry mark just here, and there is a signature here. They are both illegible. I don’t care, this is about energy, this is about how it looks.
“You’ve got Art Negra, in Paris, where Josephine Baker was all the rage. Paul Colin did wonderful posters of her. And the Belgians, a lot of their subject matter for sculpture were people from Africa.
“They liked the physiognomy of black people, and they found it very sculptural, I think this is a portrait, and I can’t believe the sculptor has not seen Auguste Rodin.
“Because you look at it, and it’s like Rodin. But this is later. I believe this is post-war, meaning it’s after 1945. I think it’s Italian, possibly. You put this in a room, and it gives the room presence.
“And the sculptor has got the energy of the sitter in the modelling of those features. The way he’s used the hair is almost like a sunburst, and it makes it decorative.
“It’s not even big, but it’s monumental,” Archer-Morgan praised. “The patina’s wonderful; they’ve just got it right. I think, this lovely little head looks a bit like Rodin; we know it’s post-war – it could be Giacomo Manzu, who was a lovely sculptor, he was Italian.
“I could see any of the decorators wanting to enhance a room interior with a piece like this. And I think someone presenting it that way in a Paris salon, or in something in Manhattan, I think they could ask… £1,500 to £2,000.”
However, it could fetch a greater value if the guest were to carry out Archer-Morgan’s parting demand. “If you could decipher that name, it could be a lot, lot more,” he urged.
The guest was left stunned and replied: “I bought this because I loved it. And I want my family to enjoy it because everyone that comes and sees it, they all…”
