AN OIL painting by Kendal artist George Romney has been sold at Sotheby's in New York for £246,284.
The picture is of Henrietta Morris and her son John, the daughter and grandson of 18th century Westmorland MP Sir Philip Musgrave, was painted by Romney in 1777, after which he sold it to Henaege Legge, the brother-in-law of Mrs Morris, for £2.
The selling price represents a considerable increase in value since the painting was commissioned, as the recent selling price has exceeding the original price an incredible 1,394 times.
The appetite for Romney's work has witnessed something of a resurgence in the New York art world in recent years, as a portrait of Lady Sullivan, by Romney, sold for over £400,000 in 2002, still the record for a Romney painting.
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