A Gut Feeling

He had never observed the content of the painting. All he knew was that it featured a man. He for the first time noticed that the man was donning a white linen suit, wide straw hat, and brown leather sandals. Whereas Rue was staring at the painting with a puzzling expression, the man in the painting shot a serious glance at him. He was frowning and looked stern. Rue felt a lump form in his throat. 

Curiosity

An amazing idea had clicked him. He ran his finger through the edges of the painting. He touched all the grooves and whirls wondering what the artist would have thought while creating it. He realized that the artist had used oil paint to make it. Rue’s thoughts got followed by hope. He wondered if this giant and old painting was worth some penny.

No Future?

The painting had no history and definitely no future if it continues to perish in a corner. So, there was no harm in getting it evaluated. He thought of selling it off. Even though the painting itself would not procure any value, perhaps the frame would. He might get a few dollars in exchange.         

Antiques Roadshow

Rue knew where exactly to go to find out its true value. He packed up the mysterious painting and took it to a popular reality show called Antiques Roadshow that was filming around Corpus Christi, Texas. The appraiser Colleene Fesko spotted the portray and gave his expert opinion on it. Her revelation left Rue speechless.     

The Signature

Rue did not know by then that his father too had once got the portray appraised. It happened more than a decade ago i.e. in 1998. His father was told that the signature imprinted on the painting was not in match with other signs placed on other artwork of the artist. The disclosure was made to him at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA). However, this was not the strangest revelation he made. So according to them, it was a fake painting. 

Second Opinion

However, Colleene Fesko owned a different opinion about it. The experts at the San Antonio Museum of Art called it fake after scanning the signature down at bottom right-hand corner. Colleen picked that signature for her further revelation that was astonishing.