“Bares for Rares”
Cashier saved from a flop: Expert Albert Maier exposes fraud
His opinion counts: Albert Maier is the luminary for art and antiques at “Bares für Rares”.
© ZDF
An old painting is for sale at “Bares for Rares”. The owner hopes for 300 euros – and experiences a huge surprise.
A dealer offered her 180 euros for the painting: Ella Dehne from Essen comes to “Bares für Rares” with an heirloom from her mother-in-law. She sells the piece on commission, explains the cashier in Horst Lichter’s ZDF junk show. The 60-year-old hopes to receive a little more than the 180 euros mentioned in the show. It soon becomes clear: Luckily she didn’t sell for this price.
“Bares for Rares” expert Albert Maier immediately begins to swarm when he sees the watercolor. The drawing was painted in 1868 by the French artist Adolf Charlemagne. He lived in Russia for a long time and during this time painted many motifs at the Russian Tsar’s court. “That’s great,” says Maier about the portrayal of a coachman. The quality of the pencil drawing overlaid with watercolor is fantastic.
“Bares for Rares” expert disagrees
Dehne wants 300 euros for the painting – at least 120 euros more than a dealer had offered her. Expert Maier looks incredulous. For this price he would take it immediately, says the Bavarian art dealer. Paintings by Charlemagne are highly endowed. Either the first dealer didn’t have a clue or he was trying to trick the owners. Because Maier’s estimate is 3,000 to 3,500 euros – “at least”, as he emphasizes.
The dealers marvel at the painting. “Did you know what a treasure you have there?” Julian Schmitz-Avila wants to know. Saleswoman Dehne admits that she had no idea. Fabian Kahl starts with a bid of 1500 euros. But Schmitz-Avila holds against it, surpasses every price Kahl. Only at 3300 euros does the Thuringian get out. The painting goes to Munster.
Dehne received eleven times the price she originally asked for. “I have to teach that to my mother-in-law gently.”
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Source: “Bares for Rares” from February 16, 2022. There are new episodes of the junk show with Horst Lichter from Monday to Friday at 3:05 p.m. on ZDF and in advance in the media library to see.