Antiques Roadshow expert shares disappointment at value of ‘rare’ porcelain egg

In a recent episode of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow viewers were taken to Powis Castle in Wales where members of the public took their rare items to get valued. One of which included a small painted egg from one guest who revealed it once belonged to her grandma when she ran an antiques shop. Speaking to expert Serhat Ahmet, the guest explained: ‘She always went to the salerooms and would enjoy finding unusual or special items that she would probably keep herself rather than sell. So, it’s been handed down. ‘We sometimes think it’s a bit of glass or a bit of painted stone. In the family, at Christmas, we always used to say, ‘Here’s our Faberge egg’.’ Although the hopes of the object being part of the rare Russian collection were short-lived when the expert revealed what the egg was. The guest revealed the egg had been passed down from her grandma (Image: BBC) He said: ‘Well, I’ll disappoint you now, it’s not a Faberge egg. But, what you do have is a perfume bottle.’ Holding the item, Serhat took off the top part which revealed a small hole to demonstrate where the perfume would go in. The expert added: ‘A very, very elaborate perfume bottle and one that’s very rare.It’s a very special and important porcelain egg.’ Giving the guest more information about the item’s history, Serhat highlighted it was made by Berlin’s Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur, also known as KPM. The guest joked that her item was a Faberge egg. (Image: BBC) Founded in the 18th century, the expert added: ‘This piece was made in around 1895/1905. The art nouveau period.’ Inspecting the egg closer, he highlighted the pink enamel flowers which had been built up with layers of paint. He continued: ‘Each time a layer was put on, it would have to be fired, another layer, another firing.’ As the guest highlighted that process would take a long time, the expert agreed as he then mentioned the gold gilding which would’ve been a similar process. The expert revealed how much the egg was worth (Image: BBC) After speaking about the egg’s history, it was time for Serhat to reveal how much the item would cost should it be put up for auction. Asking if the guest had any idea what it might be worth, she confessed: ‘No, I was hoping it would cover the cost of my new dress.’ Bursting into laughter, Serhat replied: ‘Not knowing how much your dress cost, if I wanted to buy this object today, I would have to pay upwards of £1,500.’ She replied: ‘Oh that’s lovely, isn’t it? That’s special.’ Asking if it would cover the cost of the dress, the guest jokingly replied: ‘Just about! I may be able to have another!’ Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.