Fake or Fortune guest left speechless as 'forgotten' auction painting worth £50,000

A Fake or Fortune guest was left speechless as his "forgotten" auction painting was worth £50,000.

Robjn Cantus, who lives near Cambridge, bought more than 30 paintings during a "trolley dash" at an auction house back in 2020.

He was particularly excited to pick up a painting by Vera Cunningham, which was one of two items in the same lot attributed to the artist. Robjn paid £35 for the pair, but only wanted one of them.

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On the latest episode of Fake or Fortune, which aired on Monday (August 4), Robjn was stunned to discover that the "by-product" painting was actually a forgotten original by Frances Hodgkins, which was worth around £50,000.

Hodgkins is regarded as one of New Zealand's most revered expatriate artists.

Mary Kisler, an art historian from New Zealand and Hodgkins expert, studied the painting on the BBC show.

"You can read Robjn's painting as fitting in to a really large number of Hodgkins' works. When you lay those works side-by-side, you can see absolutely that Robjn's work fits among them," she said.

"I do wonder if this is October Landscape," Mary added, referring to a painting by Hodgkins that had not been found. "I think it's a damn good one - I'd love to have it myself."

Host Fiona Bruce added: "It's phenomenal... For Robjn, it's the find of a lifetime."

Speaking to Metro about the staggering valuation, Robjn shared his surprise, saying: "I did wonder if it was the painting of a schoolchild when I first saw it.

"I didn't really think much of it, just shoved it into an air-conditioned barn, and it went into my storage area to be forgotten."

Robjn also remained adamant that his rare item isn't for sale, adding: "Since filming, I've forgotten about it, really.

"For many viewers, the show is all about wealth - but I bought the painting in 2020, and I've got to the end of this journey.

"To have it authenticated after trying for all those years is worth more than the value."

Fake or Fortune is available to stream on BBC iPlayer