Shropshire sale of 'lost' Eva Braun portrait

The painting of Braun is believed to be her state portrait – and for 70 years was thought to be have been lost.

It has been hailed as a "remarkable" portrait by staff at Church Stretton-based Mullocks Auctioneers, who have included the piece in their sale of historical documents and ephemera at Ludlow Racecourse on March 18.

The 54 by 49 inch painting is expected to fetch about £6,000.

Mr Westwood-Brookes said the vendor had bought the painting from the Grafin's heir Mr Bodo von Henning auf Schonhöff.

Richard Westwood-Brookes, historical expert at the auctioneers, said: "This is a quite remarkable portrait of one of the most enigmatic women in history.

"Eva looks so benign and ordinary in this picture that you can almost think that she was like the woman next door – yet she chose to become the partner and then the wife of one of the most evil monsters in history.

"This portrait therefore serves not only as an interesting piece of art but as an important historical record in its own right."

It was not the only occasion that Eva gave away a painting.

She also granted a painting from Hitler, depicting two red flowers and petals, to her friend Herta Schneider when she visited the Wasserburg Street in Munich in 1940.

It is thought the state portrait could have been made as part of Eva's aspirations to attend the meetings Hitler had with highly placed people.

The painting is accompanied by a file of documents on the provenance of the painting.

Hans Lehmkuhl was a popular portrait painter of highly placed politicians and military officers – but he was not himself a member of the Nazi party.

In 1936 he received the order from army leaders to paint a four-meter-high painting of Adolf Hitler.

In the same year he was asked by the army leaders to paint Werner von Blomberg, the German Generalfeldmarschall and minister of war.

The auction will be held at Ludlow Racecourse's Clive Pavillion.