Antiques Roadshow expert left red-faced as he | TV Shows

As Stephen scrutinized the piece, he suggested that the jug might have been influenced by a notorious 19th-century artist.

Stephen insisted: “I’ve never seen anything quite like it, ever, and I’ve been doing this for 20 years.”

However, the episode took an unexpected twist when it aired later that year.

Despite the impressive valuation, it was later revealed that the antiques expert had made a significant error. A woman watching the show recognized the “grotesque face jug” as a sculpture created by her friend, Betsy Soule, in the 1970s.

She reached out to the program to inform them of the major mistake, explaining that Betsy had crafted the piece during a ceramics class in high school around 1973 or 1974.

The US broadcaster PBS has since updated the details on the American Antiques Roadshow site and revalued the item between $3,000 and $5,000.

Stephen later discussed the error with The Guardian, stating: “This example, with its six grotesque faces, was modelled or sculpted with considerable imagination, virtuosity, and technical competence.

“Obviously, I was mistaken as to its age range by 60 to 80 years. I feel the valuation at auction, based on its quality and artistic merit, is in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. Still, not bad for a high schooler in Oregon.”