John Constable Suffolk oil sketch sells for £252,000 at Exeter auction

The painting is thought to depict a scene in East Bergholt in Constable's native Suffolk

An oil sketch by John Constable has sold at auction for £252,000 - four times its estimate.

The painting, given the title Landscape with Horses by auctioneer Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, is thought to depict East Bergholt in 1810.

The Exeter auction house expected the Suffolk artist's work to sell for between £40,000 and £60,000.

Auctioneer Dan Goddard said two telephone bidders "slugged it out" for 15 minutes before one was successful.

The oil on canvas painting, which measures 9.5in by 14in (24cm by 36cm), had once belonged to Constable's son, Lionel Bicknell Constable, he said.

"There are two interesting labels on the back in his [son's] handwriting that refer to the title and the date of the painting, October 1810.

"Those original labels make it something really special."

Career 'highlight'

Mr Goddard said the auction house had expected the "charming little gem of a painting" to fetch a high price "based on the interest, what we found out about it during the sale, and authentication".

"It was bought on the telephone by an anonymous buyer," he said.

"There were a few bids in the room, but in the end it came down to two people on telephones who slugged it out bidding for a good 15 minutes."

Selling the Constable work was "a highlight of my auctioneering career", Mr Goddard said.

"I imagine whoever has bought it will get some restoration or cleaning done and keep it. I think it will go in a nice collection somewhere."