Rediscovered Portrait of Robert Burns sells for almost £85,000

A lost painting of famous Scottish Poet and Lyricist Robert Burns (1759-1796), attributed to Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) has sold at Wimbledon Auctions for £84,320 including buyers premium. 

The painting was consigned to Wimbledon Auctions April 28th Auction, as part of a large house contents in Surrey. The painting, possibly by Sir Henry Raeburn depicts a Young Robert Burns, and was created after the original by Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840). Burns had reluctantly sat half-a-dozen times for Naysmith in early 1787 on the request of the Edinburgh publisher William Creech with the results quickly engraved by John Beugo for Burns’ Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect published on April 21, 1787. The original oil, a small picture that now hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, is inscribed Painted from Mr Robert Burns by his friend Alexr. Nasmyth, Edinr 1787. 

The canvas measures 2ft 6in x 2ft 1in (75 x 62cm), with the portrait set in what may be the original Regency period gilt frame.

The painting sold over 160 times its estimate, with the winning bid of £68,000 (close to £85,000 with the addition of 24% buyer’s premium) being a new house record for Wimbledon Auctions. 

Director Felix Turner said 'The painting has sold to a private buyer, and was contested by numerous dealers and private collectors. Hopefully it will end up on public display. We had four telephone bidders and upwards of 10 bidders on the internet at different levels. From around £30,000 onwards it was down to the three phone bidders to battle it out.”

The total for the April Auction was £317,500 including buyer's premium