AUSTIN CALDWELL
Updated
A London taxi driver turned a second-hand purchase into a true artistic discovery. In 2016, this person sold this painting, which had been attributed to 19th-century Amritsar (a valuable Indian painting from the period), for 107,250 dollars.
At the time, it had cost him only 58.80 dollars at a street market in 1986, so he made a real fortune when he auctioned it in the city of London.
10-Year-Old Sumo Wrestler Stuns Crowd by Beating Opponent More Than Twice His Size
This was the painting the taxi driver sold and with which he made 107,250 dollars after paying around 58.80 for it some 30 years earlier
The taxi driver acquired this work for 58.80 dollars at a British flea market in 1986, but ended up selling it for 107,250 dollars at an auction in London in April 2016. Throughout this time, the buyer was unaware of its true value, until it arrived at the Roseberys auction house, where it was initially valued at between 715 and 1,430 dollars.
However, according to Antiques Trade Gazette, buyers became interested in this painting and it sparked intense bidding, reaching 107,250 dollars. The painting we are talking about is an image, measuring about 59 x 85 centimeters, that depicts the walled city of Amritsar, in present-day India, with the Golden Temple.
It stands out for its quantity of architectural details and human figures, which show what life was like at the time. In addition, in the upper left part there is a small figure that could represent the artist himself while painting.
As for its author, experts attributed it to Baba Bishan Singh, a member of a family of painters linked to Amritsar and Lahore. However, its authorship is not known for certain, so it was never fully confirmed and remained a mere hypothesis. In this way, the story shows how an ordinary piece can have artistic and historical value without us realizing it.