It was a cheap deal: Helmut Betsch paid no more than 70 euros for the painting that he discovered in an antique shop and cleaned after buying it. It has an unusual format, as Horst Lichter immediately states: “It’s a bit far from the square,” comments the moderator.
Expert Colmar Schulte-Goltz speaks of a panorama format that is rarely found in painting. According to the expert, the artist Vitus Staudacher painted the picture in 1898 near Freiburg. The painter showed the townspeople in Baden-Baden country life. At that time, spa guests from all over the world would have bought his paintings and thus made the artist internationally known.
Bertsch would like 500 euros for the painting. However, the expert considers much more to be possible: he estimates the value at 1200 to 1400 euros, also due to the unusual format. When the lucky sellers with the dealer card have disappeared, Horst Lichter gets to work on his very own expertise in the picture. “You know how you can tell that the painting is very old,” he wants to know about Deutschmanek. He’s looking forward to Lichter’s explanation. The presenter thinks he can recognize age from the poppies – you hardly see them today.
In the dealer’s room, the work of art immediately arouses interest because of its size. “We are enthusiastic about the motif and also about the format,” says Wolfgang Pauritsch in greeting. “I’m really flashed,” admits the Austrian and starts the auction with 500 euros. Since several dealers are bidding, the price quickly rises above 1000 euros. In the end, Pauritsch was awarded the contract for 1,500 euros. That is above the estimated value, is three times the asking price and more than twenty times the purchase price. A great deal for Helmut and Annemarie Betsch.
And the buyer is happy too: “I had to have this picture,” says Wolfgang Pauritsch.
Source: “Bares for Rares” in the ZDF media library
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