Famous sculptor's only mosaic to go to auction

Ken Bolan bought the mosaic after its creator, a close friend of his, died

A mosaic by a famous sculptor is set to go on sale at auction.

The work by Dame Elisabeth Frink, who died in 1993, once adorned the swimming pool of Woolland House, her country estate in Dorset.

It is part of the collection of dealer Ken Bolan, which will go on sale at Sworders fine art auctioneers on 24 September.

It is thought to be the only mosaic she ever created, and among the largest pieces of work she ever made, Sworders said.

The collection, titled Ken Bolan: Nature Follows Form, features 400 lots from the dealer, who has been buying and selling antiques for more than 50 years.

Sworders said many of the items going on sale come with their own stories, including an 18th-century polychrome painted Danish cupboard dating back to 1772.

Mr Bolan said it was "dear to my heart", because it came up for auction just as he had built an extension to his family home.

"It was going to dominate the room so the whole family looked at it and we all decided that 'yes, we liked it'," he said.

A Danish cupboard is also part of the collection going to auction

The dealer said he had a "close friendship" with Frink, whom he called "Lis", having first met her when she visited his shop in Bath in 1986.

"'At that time, I had just begun buying Swedish painted furniture which she absolutely adored," he said.

"Over the next few months, after discovering my old brewery in Gillingham, she bought numerous painted items from me, and we developed a close friendship."

After Frink died in 1993, Mr Bolan helped her son sell the furnishings from the estate. After that, he bought The Money and the Dolphin mosaic, which Frink had designed circa 1987.

Sworders estimated it would sell for between £300,000 and £500,000.