An attributed oil painting to Domenikos Theotokopoulos of Saint Peter known as El Greco sold for over ten times the estimated valued. The original estimate of £40,000 – 60,000 was a short fall for the sold value of £791,650.

The artwork had bidders on the phone and in a packed saleroom fighting for the striking work. The Saint Peter painting is comparable to the works of El Greco whos painting style was influenced by the Roman and Spanish period. The artwork had certain stylistic features such as three-dimensional and naturalistic handling of the figure.

Andrew McKenzie, Director of Old Master Paintings said, “The painting was a totally new discovery on our part which was the result of our extensive research. Owing to the notorious difficulties in distinguishing between those authentic works that can be absolutely verified to be by El Greco and workshop variants, we attributed the painting to the artist in our catalogue description with an appropriately cautious estimate. However, the enthusiasm we received both prior to and during the sale was a resounding endorsement of this attribution and we are delighted with the outcome.”