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Related | 1919 Howard Chandler Christy "The Spirit of America"

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Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Related | Playboy "Womb Chair" Spread

Related | Playboy "Womb Chair" Spread

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Portraits Attributed to Zedekiah Belknap

Value (2014) | $6,000 – $8,000
Watch  

GUEST:
These are my fourth great-grandparents, and these are their wedding portraits from 1814. And I acquired them from my grandmother's estate.

APPRAISER:
And how long ago was that?

GUEST:
I acquired them about four years ago. They originated in Fitchburg, because that's where the two of them were married, but then their daughter brought them out to Crawfordsville, Indiana, in about 1840. And then from Crawfordsville, they went to Des Moines and Chicago, and then my great-great-grandmother brought them out to Pasadena in 1906.

APPRAISER:
One of the things that I noticed right off the bat when you took them out of the box was that they're both handsome people, and the thing that really got me was the folky nature of the way their faces are painted and some of the characteristics. A folk painter sort of adopts a style and does things a certain way because it works for them, and people like what they paint.

GUEST:
They sat for so long on the mantel of my great-great-grandfather's fireplace in his study and they got kind of sooty, and I looked, I couldn't find a signature, but they need to be cleaned badly, and I often have wondered if it was an itinerant painter or if it was somebody else, I don't know.

APPRAISER:
Most of the portrait painting back in that time period was done by an itinerant painter. It so happens that we think the painter on this is a guy named Zedekiah Belknap. He was born in 1781, he died in the 1850s. He actually graduated from Dartmouth College, was a minister, and then became an itinerant artist I guess because the pay was better for that. The one thing he always did was he painted one side of the nose, and there's always this red outline, and the ears are usually flat and red colored, and he also did the eyes round, and they were very clearly defined. So right now, we would say they're attributed to him. They're so rare, and the reason is that it wasn't cheap to have somebody come out and do that for you. When you got these from the estate, you had to buy them, right?

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
And how much did you have to pay?

GUEST:
I paid $2,000 for the pair.

APPRAISER:
He painted on canvas, but he also painted on board, and these are on board.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
I think you would be really surprised with what a light cleaning would do in terms of bringing out more details, but as is, for insurance purposes, I would put $6,000 to $8,000 on the pair.

GUEST:
Very nice, very nice. Regardless of what their cash value is, to have something that's 200 years old from my ancestors is wonderful.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Ken Farmer
Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Furniture, Musical Instruments
Ken Farmer LLC
Charlottesville, VA
Appraised value (2014)
$6,000 – $8,000
Featured In
Santa Clara, Hour 3 (#1915)
Event
Santa Clara, CA (June 07, 2014)
Category
Folk Art
Period
19th Century
Form
Portrait
Material
Oil

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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