BBC/Antiques Roadshow
Everyone loves to see an inexpensive thrift shop purchase turn into a pricey treasure, which is part of the appeal of shows like the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. On an episode that aired on 15, one guest brought in a painting showing a young man’s face against a golden-brown background. According to Artnet, the guest had bought the painting in the 1980s because of its “simplicity, how it captured the essence of a person, and the colors are also lovely,” and had paid less than £30 ($40) for it at a second-hand shop in South Africa. In exactly the kind of event that makes the show must-see TV, it was evaluated at £12,000 and £18,000, or between $16,000 and $24,000.
BBC/Antiques Roadshow
The painting was signed by Dutch artist Frans David Oerder, who emigrated to South Africa from the Netherlands in 1890. His classical arts training, which included attending the Rotterdam Academy, touring Italy, and studying in Brussels, made him one of the most prominent artists in Colonial South Africa. When the Second Boer War broke out in 1899 between the Boer (originally Dutch) and British colonial forces, President Paul Kruger made Oerder the official war artist. After the war, Oerder’s status continued to grow as he received commissions to paint landscapes and official portraits.
Art expert Frances Christie noted that the painting brought on the show was atypical of Oerder’s works. She believes “This painting wouldn’t have been a commission; it was clearly a boy he came across and asked to sit for him” and praises how “Oerder has managed to capture very subtle facial features and the thoughtfulness of this person beautifully.”
In some ways, the painting seems almost prescient. Christie believes it was painted around the turn of the century but still “feels exceptionally fresh, it could have been painted yesterday.” Its minimalist composition and bright colors suggest the modern art of the 20th century rather than the formal portraits by the old Dutch masters.
The painting’s context in South African history cannot be ignored, either. During Oerder’s lifetime, the region was controlled by the British Empire and the Boer descendants of Dutch settlers—the same people who would have commissioned paintings from him would have commissioned paintings from him. Black citizens, like the unidentified young man, had very little power. While there is no way to know if this was Oerder’s intention, the portrait now seems like a harbinger of what was to come to South Africa in the 20th century—its freedom from colonial rule and the empowerment of its Black population, which no doubt, positively affects its value.
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