Shock as Sussex auction house sells £200 painting for £52,000

The 18th Century oil on wood panel portrait of a man with a bugle was one of the lots up for sale at Burstow and Hewett’s final auction of 2020.

The auction house had put an estimate of between £200 and £300 on the framed, unsigned painting.

But the bids quickly surpassed this estimate and the painting was eventually sold for £52,000 to a telephone bidder.

Burstow and Hewett, based at Lower Lake in Battle, said of the December 11 sale: “Our final auction of the year has been such an incredible success.

“We are still in shock!”

The sale topped off an “incredible” year for Burstow and Hewett. Despite the lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions, auctioneer Mark Ellin and the team saw some amazing sales.

Among the highlights was The Jungle Book by Mr Doodle, an acrylic on canvas, which was up for auction on October 15.

Burstow and Hewett had put an estimate of between £7,000 and £10,000 on the artwork.

However this too sold for way more than the estimate, eventually going under the hammer for £55,000.

Burstow and Hewett is due to reopen on January 4 after the Christmas break.