Antiques Roadshow guest stunned to learn value of free painting
Frances Christie identifies a Gladys Maccabe-style seaside print as potentially worth up to £1,800 on the BBC show.
A guest on BBC's Antiques Roadshow was left speechless after learning that a painting she had been given for free could fetch as much as £1,800 at auction, in a segment filmed at Shuttleworth House in Bedfordshire.
Art specialist Frances Christie immediately identified the piece as a seaside scene in the unmistakable style of Gladys Maccabe, one of Northern Ireland's best-known 20th‑century artists. Christie described the work as oil on board, noting a bustling beach tableau with people and horses that radiates the painter's characteristic blend of color and life. “This is such a vibrant scene of loads of people gathered on a beach with lots of children riding on horses,” she said, adding that the style is unmistakably Maccabe.
Christie also outlined Maccabe's broader legacy. Born in 1918 in Belfast, the artist studied at art school before the Second World War and became a champion for women in the arts. She founded the Ulster Society of Women Artists and served as its first president, a role Christie called pivotal in promoting female talent in Northern Ireland. “Colour and life, that is what Gladys Maccabe was all about,” the expert said, highlighting the painter’s confident use of color and line, and her technique of using black pigment to define shapes of horses and people while layering bright strokes to capture the sea and shore.
The painting’s provenance also caught the guest by surprise. She explained that the piece originally belonged to an elderly couple who were close friends of her parents, and that after the couple passed away they were invited to choose an item to keep. “When they passed away, we were invited to choose an item that we'd like to keep and that just appealed to me,” she recalled. Christie confirmed the work’s potential on the auction block, estimating a value in the £1,200–£1,800 range and prompting a moment of astonishment from the owner.
“Lucky you!” the expert exclaimed at one point, before delivering the verdict. The guest, still processing, replied, “Okay, good! Yes, it is, yeah. Thank you very much.” The moment underscored the show’s mix of history, surprise and appraisal that has kept Antiques Roadshow on the air for decades. The episode from Shuttleworth House continues to showcase the program’s format of combining expert analysis with personal storytelling.
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and to stream on iPlayer. In another recent episode, a different guest uncovered a remarkable story about a long-lost book with a surprising past and a price tag that reflected its extraordinary provenance, illustrating the program’s ongoing appeal for collectors and casual viewers alike.