Edward Seago wedding gift painting of River Orwell sells for £32,500

Edward Seago gave away Boats On The Hard, Pin Mill as a wedding gift

A painting of a Suffolk river given as a wedding gift by artist Edward Seago has sold for £32,500 at auction in London.

Seago's picture of Pin Mill on the River Orwell was painted and given as a gift in 1968.

Bonhams valued the painting at between £15,000 and £20,000 before the auction in Knightsbridge.

Seago, a self-taught artist who was born in Norwich, was best known for landscapes and portraits.

The auction house said it was "delighted" with the sale of Boats On The Hard, Pin Mill.

'Very collectible'

A Bonhams spokesman said Seago had left his boat Capricorn in the care of the vendor at Pin Mill and the lot came accompanied with a copy of a letter from the artist apologising for not being able to attend the wedding.

It read: "Dear Tony, I am sorry that I shall not be able to attend your wedding because I shall be in Morocco.

"To mark the occasion, I am sending you a small sketch.

"It comes with my very best wishes to you both, and you may find this subject familiar. Yours sincerely, Edward Seago."

Bonhams' Andrew Currie said the artist's work was "very collectible".

"The appealing subject and possibly the circumstances under which it was painted - it was a wedding present - led to strong bidding and provided the highest price of the day," he said.