AN experienced saver was shocked to discover a painting was worth even more than she thought, thanks to a hidden detail.
Grace Carpenter of Phoenix, Arizona, is a self-proclaimed “treasure hunter” and her recent Goodwill find proves that to be true.
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While waiting to pick up her children at a bus stop, Carpenter couldn’t resist a quick look at the local Goodwill store.
For $32, she bought an oil painting of a woman holding a cat.
Although several buyers and the donor did not realize its true value, Carpenter suspected that the work was by artist Charles Craig and was worth more than its price.
The Ohio painter became Colorado’s first academically trained resident artist after moving to Colorado Springs in the late 1800s.
He was famous for painting “Western and Indian life”, according to Broadmoor Galleries.
Although the painting of a woman holding a cat was a departure from his known works, Carpenter knew his signature and immediately recognized it at Goodwill.
Taking to TikTokthe interior designer shared her belief that she had an original Craig oil painting from 1912.
Followers convinced Carpenter to appear on Antiques Roadshow with the piece, with one saying that featuring it on the show “is the obvious answer.”
A commenter had an extra ticket to the PBS show in Tennessee and it was then confirmed by experts that the painting was indeed an original painting by Craig.
However, its true value has not yet been revealed to Carpenter, who was unaware of a small detail that would increase its value by hundreds of dollars.
“When I was there, the appraiser I talked to looked at it and said, ‘Well, that’s really interesting,’ and took it to a colleague,” Carpenter said. The Arizona Republic.
“They brought out a black light and started inspecting it and said, ‘Thank you so much for bringing this in, it’s so special. It’s our favorite today.’
“And then he showed me that the cat had been painted into the painting years later.”
Once told of the late black-and-white addition to the painting, Carpenter said it’s much more obvious, as the feline doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the artwork.
“If you actually look at the painting now, it makes sense,” she said.
“Her face is so detailed and really beautiful and that cat is like graffiti, so it’s really funny when you know what you’re looking at.”
However, this “graffiti” increased the value of the artwork to about $2,000, while most of Craig’s pieces are stuck at about $500, Carpenter said.
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The Antiques Roadshow appraiser “wouldn’t let it leave the gallery for less than $2,000,” she said.
This isn’t the first time Carpenter has made a lucky discovery.
In 2013, at a flea market in Amsterdam, Carpenter, who had previously studied in the Netherlands, found a painting by Fernande Léger, a French artist.
Although she only paid $80 for the piece, she told the Arizona Republic that it was later valued at nearly $1 million when it was authenticated as an original.
Despite the value of his two precious finds, Carpenter said he would not sell them.
“When you’re a treasure hunter and collector like me, the fun part is finding it, but it’s also the pleasure,” she said.
“I love the story and it’s something I can leave with my children.”
The US Sun previously reported on a savvy shopper who scored a bargain on a kitchen gem at his local thrift store for just $12.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
