Rare Highland Stag Painting Set to Stun with £4M Auction Price

A painting called Scene in Braemar, created by the famous artist Sir Edwin Landseer, is expected to be sold for up to four million pounds at an auction in London next month. This painting features a twelve-point stag standing proudly on a Highland peak in Scotland. It is considered a 'sister painting' to Landseer's well-known Monarch of the Glen, which hangs in the National Galleries of Scotland. Scene in Braemar was originally commissioned by Edward Ladd Betts, a railway businessman, for his home in Kent. Over the years, the painting has been owned by several private collectors and was last sold at auction in 1994 for nearly eight hundred thousand pounds.

Sotheby's, the auction house, believes that Scene in Braemar could sell for between three and four million pounds this time. Julian Gascoigne, a senior director at Sotheby's, described the painting as one of Landseer's greatest masterpieces. He said that while Monarch of the Glen shows a young and bright stag, Scene in Braemar has a darker and more dramatic feeling. The painting is rarely seen in public and is one of the largest and most impressive works by Landseer that is still privately owned.

Sir Edwin Landseer was a favorite artist of Queen Victoria and often visited Scotland, where he found inspiration for his animal paintings. Monarch of the Glen is his most famous work and is recognized all over Britain. It has appeared on many products, from whisky bottles to biscuit tins, and even made an appearance in the American TV show Schitt's Creek. Scene in Braemar, although not as famous, is even larger than Monarch of the Glen and was highly praised when it was first shown. The painting has changed hands several times, including being sold during a banking crisis in the 1800s. It was once described as 'masterly in conception and effect' and was admired by famous people like Beatrix Potter. The painting has been displayed in public galleries before and will soon be seen again when it goes up for auction, giving art lovers a chance to appreciate its beauty and history.