Antiques Roadshow fans were taken aback when modern art specialist Frances Christie opted not to appraise an item after learning about its history.
In the episode aired on Sunday (October 6), the program featured an intriguing object with a remarkable narrative.
Frances, along with host Fiona Bruce, visited the Ulster Folk Museum near Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they examined a striking watercolour portrait of a priest.
Frances commented on its captivating appearance, stating, “I love how the artist has captured the glint on his glasses.”
She then asked about the individual depicted in the painting.
The owner of the painting proceeded to share an extraordinary story, prompting Frances to decline to value it.
The owner revealed, “The sitter is my uncle, Father Dan Cummings, and he was a Redemptorist priest.
“When World War II broke out, Ireland was neutral, but then, they got a request for chaplains. So, Dan volunteered and joined the British Army. He was part of the liberation forces at Belsen.”
Frances realized the significance of this, given the well-documented WWII events surrounding German occupation and concentration camps.
She remarked, “Of course, as we now know, Belsen was one of the very large concentration camps in the north of Germany, and it was one of the first to be liberated by British troops.”
The owner detailed the painting’s surprising past, explaining that it was created by an inmate.
They continued, “Once the liberation happened, he stayed on in the hospital for one year and during that period, this was painted by one of the inmates, presumably as part of his recuperation and rehabilitation.”
Upon examining the painting, Frances noticed the artist’s signature: “Well, it’s signed at the top ‘Baumeister, Hans’, and dated 1946, so the year after liberation.
“As you say, it must’ve been part of the period directly afterwards when, you know, we all know the story now, it was such a shocking discovery when they liberated Belsen.”
British troops first entered the Belsen camp on 15 April, three days after the truce, as part of the 63 Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, led by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Taylor.
Frances added, “What I think is incredible about this portrait though is that it brings alive – and you’re sharing with us – the experiences of clearly someone, from here, who devoted his services and clearly made a real difference.
“I mean the fact that this was signed, ‘Hans Baumeister’, who is an artist that I’ve never come across before but looking at the portrait, it’s really beautifully painted.”
She described it as a ‘symbol of two very different people coming together’ and reflected on how ‘the fact that Hans painted this of your uncle shows that he was clearly quite an important part of his life’.
At this point, Frances decided not to value the painting.
She told the owner, “In terms of value, I mean, this is the Antiques Roadshow, so we usually do put a value on things.
“But I’m not going to put a monetary value on it today because it is so much more important than that because of its connection with Belsen, because of your uncle being someone from Belfast who was there at the moment of liberation. It has so much more of an important social and historical context.”