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Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Tibetan Tangka, ca. 1750

Value (2017) | $6,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
From what I've been able to tell, I think it's a Tibetan tangka that was obviously made in Tibet and in a monastery. And that's about all I think I know about it.

APPRAISER:
Well, you are absolutely right, it is tangka. And tangka basically means a scroll painting. These were originally rolled up and mounted with brocade. They had silk covers on them-- layer after layer. It's an image of the goddess of mercy.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
And the goddess of mercy once was so compassionate towards men, that all of a sudden her head split in order to be able to exhibit more compassion around the world.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
So that's the reason why you see all of those heads.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And the divinities that are at the bottom are the ones they refer to as the wrathful divinities. And even the wrathful part is more like dispelling ego than it is fearfulness or causing violence. And the parasol that's there that's sticking, you know, out of the side?

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
That's indicating the nobility of the cause.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
Compassion for men. And the way these things were constructed, they were originally done with like all geometric forms underneath. You know, various lines that were drawn.

GUEST:
Right, you can tell where it's kind of peeled away.

APPRAISER:
Exactly. And then they were painted like in a very, very specific order. And the last thing that was painted in were the eyes, and that actually dedicated the image.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
You know, and any Tibetan household would have had a number of these.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
And it's actually from Eastern Tibet. Did you have any idea how old it was?

GUEST:
No, the research I was able to do, they varied from, I don't know, 13th, 14th, 15th century. I have no idea.

APPRAISER:
Well, this one is actually 18th century. And probably the mid part of the 18th century, around 1750. And you can tell that because particularly this, you know, area of the clouds where they're that pinkish color?

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
That was very, very popular at that period of time.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
It's not in the greatest condition, but it's still a wonderful image. You know, really attractive. And it's worth about $3,000.

GUEST:
Wow.

APPRAISER:
This one here.

GUEST:
Great.

APPRAISER:
I heard your father didn't care for it much?

GUEST:
No, he... that's why I have it. He didn't care for it.

APPRAISER:
That's a tactful way to put it. Well, explain to him, it actually is a beautiful thought behind the image.

GUEST:
Well, great.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
James Callahan
Asian Arts
Tremont Auctions
Newton, MA
Update (2017)
$6,000 Auction
Appraised value (2002)
$3,000 Auction
Featured In
Charlotte, Hour 2 (#0717)
Vintage Charlotte (#2125)
Event
Charlotte, NC (August 10, 2002)
Category
Asian Arts
Period
18th Century
Form
Painting , Scroll

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.

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