BBC Antiques Roadshow guest almost gives away painting for free before learning its true value

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left speechless after nearly donating a painting without realising its true worth. In a recent episode of the BBC show filmed at Cromford Mills, Derbyshire, expert Lawrence Hendra was surprised by a guest who brought in an unusual painting.The guest arrived with a unique piece of art that had an intriguing history, leaving Lawrence astonished. "So of all the paintings I was not expecting to see here at Cromford Mills in Derbyshire, is a painting by an artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pili Pili Mulongoy," he said.The guest explained that she purchased the painting as part of a larger collection of artwork and prints.

However, she didn't actually want all of the pieces that came with the set, reports the Mirror."I was going to take them to a charity shop," she admitted.

The guest continued: "I had this one in my arms and I noticed that it had got a signature and could tell that it was a real painting."They added, "I tried to do some research about it and it's been on my wall ever since."When asked what initially attracted her to the painting, she added: "I think you love it or you hate it and it's really lovely and colourful and I love the little antelope and I can appreciate how it's painted.

I paint myself and I just really love it."Exploring the canvas, art expert Lawrence revealed: "As you can see, it's signed on the bottom right, Pili Pili, and he came from a very working-class family, he trained as a plumber and a builder and then he fell under guidance of a French artist.