By Mikala Theocharous
Aug 31, 2023
A thrift enthusiast purchased a $US4 ($6) painting from an op shop, only to discover it was a famous artwork last year
The woman even jokingly stated the painting might be legit after she bought it in 2017, as it seemed to bear the signature of the renowned American painter N.C Wyeth.
Now the painting is expected to fetch over $US250,000 ($385,000) when it goes up for auction in September.
The artwork was found at a Savers thrift store in New Hampshire, Machester US, according to specialists at Bonhams Skinner auction house. It was leaning against a wall among other posters and prints.
An influx of comments claiming the painting was real led the woman to contact former art curator Lauren Lewis.
The Wyeth family have produced dozens of famous painting. N.C Wyeth is the patriarch and the most well-known of the family.
Lewis said after seeing the piece she was "99 per cent certain it was authentic," she told The Boston Globe.
"While it certainly had some small scratches and it could use a surface clean, it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years," she said. 
The artwork was produced by Wyeth in 1939 as one of four works featured in a book titled Romona by Helen Hunt Jason. The book was published as a later edition of the original 1884 version.
Only one other work from the collection has been recovered, according to Bonhams Skinner.
The work depicts a young woman facing her foster mother, with a religious statue between them.
Publishing company Little, Brown and Company may have passed the work on to the original owner's estate after passing away, according to experts at Bonhams Skinner.
The record auction price for a Wyther family painting was set last year, with Andrew Wyeth's 1980 painting titled Day Dream selling for a whopping $23.2 million at Christie's Auction House in New York.
A thrift enthusiast purchased a $US4 ($6) painting from an op shop, only to discover it was a famous artwork last year
The woman even jokingly stated the painting might be legit after she bought it in 2017, as it seemed to bear the signature of the renowned American painter N.C Wyeth.
Now the painting is expected to fetch over $US250,000 ($385,000) when it goes up for auction in September.
The artwork was found at a Savers thrift store in New Hampshire, Machester US, according to specialists at Bonhams Skinner auction house. It was leaning against a wall among other posters and prints.
The painting is expected to fetch over $250,000 when it goes up for auction in September. (CNN)
After the woman bought the painting, she took the piece home and tried to research it, but came up short. She hung it on her bedroom wall for years before putting it into storage.
She recently rediscovered the artwork in May and posted about it on a Facebook page called "Things found in Walls," where users can post photos of things they have found in their backyard or home.
She recently rediscovered the artwork in May and posted about it on a Facebook page called "Things found in Walls," where users can post photos of things they have found in their backyard or home.
An influx of comments claiming the painting was real led the woman to contact former art curator Lauren Lewis.
The Wyeth family have produced dozens of famous painting. N.C Wyeth is the patriarch and the most well-known of the family.
Lewis said after seeing the piece she was "99 per cent certain it was authentic," she told The Boston Globe.
"While it certainly had some small scratches and it could use a surface clean, it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years," she said.
The work depicts a young woman facing her foster mother, with a religious statue between them. (CNN)
The artwork was produced by Wyeth in 1939 as one of four works featured in a book titled Romona by Helen Hunt Jason. The book was published as a later edition of the original 1884 version.
Only one other work from the collection has been recovered, according to Bonhams Skinner.
The work depicts a young woman facing her foster mother, with a religious statue between them.
Publishing company Little, Brown and Company may have passed the work on to the original owner's estate after passing away, according to experts at Bonhams Skinner.
The record auction price for a Wyther family painting was set last year, with Andrew Wyeth's 1980 painting titled Day Dream selling for a whopping $23.2 million at Christie's Auction House in New York.
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