Shropshire painting with £60,000 value fails to sell at auction
A picture of a Shropshire landmark by an artist who inspired royalty has failed to sell at an auction in London.
View of Ludlow Castle by Edward Seago was expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000 when it went under the hammer at Sotheby's last night.
The oil painting shows the ruins that dominate the south Shropshire town from a high vantage point in front of the surrounding hills.
But despite a high level of interest in the sale of English and Irish art the painting failed to meet its reserve price.
The Shropshire painting is a rarity as the artist was Norfolk born and is better known for his pictures of his native East Anglia, one of which, Evening in Heigham Sound, was also included in the auction and sold for £17,500.
Seago enjoyed generous patronage from numerous members of the royal family and reportedly inspired Prince Charles to take up painting.
He was one of the official artists appointed to paint the Queen's Coronation and was invited by the Duke of Edinburgh on an expedition to Antarctica.
Prince Philip and Seago painted alongside each other on the deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia and became close friends.
