Measuring 3ft 11in x 4ft 6in (1.19 x 1.38m), the oil on canvas was among the more substantial works by the Yorkshire painter to appear on the market and was described by the auction house as an “exceptional, large-scale piece”.
Going into cattle
The signed and dated work from 1922 was also deemed a particularly good example of Priestman’s bucolic English landscapes, featuring his trademark cattle and deft handling of light.
Privately consigned, it attracted bids from the internet before a bidder in the room and on the phone battled it out.
It sold to a UK private collector for £20,000 in the July 21 auction, nearly three times the top guide.
According to the Art Sales Index, the artist’s previous record at auction was £10,000, paid for another large oil, The Water Meadows (1912), at Phillips Leeds in 1989.
