Jean-Léon Gérôme Sculpture

Appraised on: July 10, 2010

Appraised in: Miami Beach, Florida

Appraised by: Eric Silver

Category: Metalwork & Sculpture

Episode Info: Junk in the Trunk (#1519)

Originally Aired: November 7, 2011

IMAGE: 1 of 4  

Appraisal Video: (1:55)

GUEST: I bought this at an auction about 34 years ago.

APPRAISER: Here in Florida?

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: Why did you buy it?

GUEST: I bought it because I thought she was beautiful. No other reason. I knew nothing about it.

APPRAISER: This is actually by a very, very famous French artist. He was primarily a painter. His name was Jean-Léon Gérôme. That's what the "J.L. Gerome" is, and he was probably the leading French artist of the 19th century working in what we call the academic style. The 19th century had an academic style and then they had the new painters, you know, the impressionists.

GUEST: And what year was that?

APPRAISER: It was in the 1850s, 1860s. And he specialized in historic scenes: scenes of the Middle East, of Ancient Egypt, of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And your figure is interesting because she's actually an Ancient Roman figure. She has this very exotic headdress in here, but the real giveaway is these shoes that lifts her foot up from the floor. She was in a bathhouse. What's unusual about your piece is how large it is. Most of the pieces by this artist that come to the market are about this big or maybe this big. It's beautifully cast. The French at this time were the leading founders. Wonderful detail. And this has the original patina, this gold finish. It's absolutely perfect condition.

GUEST: Oh, I thought she was beautiful.

APPRAISER: Well, what did you pay for it?

GUEST: $500.

APPRAISER: You paid $500? That's a fair amount of money, 35 years ago.

GUEST: Well, I thought that was expensive. Gérôme's work is very desirable, very highly sought after. At auction, this would bring between $30,000 and $40,000.

GUEST: (sighs) (laughing off-screen)

APPRAISER: You okay?

GUEST: Why are you laughing? I'm amazed. That's good. I'm amazed. Great