AN Antiques Roadshow expert left an Australian guest close to speechless after he valued the Buddha he had found while metal detecting.
During last week’s episode of the BBC One programme, a guest who had traveled across the world to appear on the show, was given the incredible news that his trip had been more than worth it.
The Australian took a Buddha he’d discovered to the Eden Project in Cornwall where the Antiques Roadshow was being filmed.
He spoke with Lee Young -who specialises in Asian Art - and confirmed straight away that the item was from the Ming Dynasty, an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644, estimating it was from around 1420.
Lee predicted it would go for a six-figure sum at action, he said: “If the hammer fell at £10,000, would we be surprised? No. If it fell at £50,000 would we be surprised? No.
"And I think even if it made £100,000, I wouldn't be that surprised. I'm honoured to be as close to this as I am, it's history-making.”
Prior to the valuation, the guest explained how he had hoped the Buddha was Ming Dynasty, he said: “We come from a tiny fishing town in regional Western Australia, so we've come about as far as is possible to come to be here today.
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"We were out metal detecting, and we spent about two weeks finding beer cans and eventually it turned up this.”
He went on to explain how he’d done a lot of research around his discovery.
He continued: “We’ve had four years to go down the rabbit burrow to learn about Buddha and learn about the history that could have got it on that journey to our shores.
"And in a nutshell, what we think is one of the largest treasure voyages to ever go around the world, sent out by a Chinese emperor around about the 1420s.
"Now, there's no doubt he came down from southeast Asia, but there is doubt as to whether or not he arrived in Australia.
“If this is Ming Dynasty, if it is Chinese, then this could be a missing link to prove an amazing story about the world's richest treasure voyage and that's something I very much hope Buddha gives us the opportunity to do.”
Much to his relief, Lee confirmed it was, and dubbed it “historically incredibly important” and added: “Occasionally an item comes our way that has an amazing story that makes it almost a world treasure."
When it came to what he’d do with the item now, the guest revealed he’d agreed to do something in his late friend's memory.
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC One.
