IT is instantly recognisable and has been described as one of the “finest examples” of Jack Vettriano’s works.
The Fife artist’s Fish Teas will be auctioned next week at a sale of contemporary and post-war art at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh.
In 2009, the painting was reportedly part of a £20 million collection gathered by RBS as it swallowed up its rivals.
However, the Antiques Roadshow’s Charlotte Riordan, an associate director with Lyon & Turnbull, could not say who owned the work because of client confidentiality.
She told The National that Vettriano’s paintings did not often come to market, and added: “It’s one of the nicest examples we’ve seen of Vettriano’s work … a good example from a good stage in his career.”
Vettriano’s best-known painting is The Singing Butler, which sold for £744,800 in 2004.
Fish Teas will be auctioned online on January 27 and is expected to fetch between £30,000-£50,000.
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