Antiques Roadshow guest gutted as expert reveals truth about family painting bought for 70p

ok.co.uk:

In the repeated episode of Antiques Roadshow, there was quite a stir when expert Alexandra Gill broke the news to a hopeful guest that her prized family painting was just a "copy" and not the sought-after original. "I have to ask, how did you come by the portrait of Sulky?" inquired Alexandra.The guest revealed a charming anecdote: "My parents bought him from a Cirencester car-boot sale in the late 80s because my dad thought that Sulky looked like his dad, it's been in our house ever since." The questioning continued as Alexandra asked: "And do you remember your grandfather? " to which the guest recalled with a touch of humour: "Yeah I do," leading Alexandra to wonder: "And would this remind you of him?" The guest amusingly quipped, "Yes.

He could definitely get a sulk on," as reported by the Express. Revealing crucial details about the artwork, Alexandra informed: "Well the original is a drawing by Gerald W Tooby," but promptly added the less thrilling reality: "But sadly this is a copy of the drawing." A clear disappointment was etched on the guest's face as they digested the revelation with a simple, "Oh right!" Alexandra elaborated on how to identify a replica: "One of the reasons you can tell that it is a copy is because it's got very sharp edges," and added: "And if you look very, very closely, you can see it's pixelated, so you can see very, very small dots as the image is made up, which is another indication that it's a copy." Seeking positives in the situation, she mentioned: "It does have Gerard Tooby's signature on it, in ballpoint, so that's always quite fun to have.

It means that he knew about it," offering a glimpse of consolation to the guest. With curiosity, she then asked: "Can I ask how much you paid.