Rare Highland Scene by Sir Edwin Landseer Fetches £5.9m
A lesser-known sister painting to the iconic Monarch of the Glen has been sold at auction in London for £5.9 million. The work, titled Scene in Braemar, was created by Sir Edwin Landseer, Queen Victoria's favourite artist, and depicts a 12-point stag standing on a Highland peak.
This painting achieved a sale price five times higher than the previous record for one of Landseer's works. It was originally commissioned by railway magnate Edward Betts and has since passed through various private collections.
Sotheby's had estimated the painting would sell for up to £4 million prior to the auction.
Comparison with Monarch of the Glen
The Monarch of the Glen, which is displayed in the National Galleries of Scotland, is one of the most recognisable and frequently reproduced paintings in British art history. Although Scene in Braemar is less well-known, it is significantly larger, measuring almost 9 feet (2.74 meters) in height.
Julian Gascoigne, senior director in Sotheby's paintings department, described Scene in Braemar as one of Landseer's great Highland masterpieces and an atmospheric counterpart to the Monarch of the Glen.
"Where the Monarch shows the stag in the brilliance of youth, this is a darker, more epic vision: majestic, charged with tension, and iconic in its vision of the Highlands."
In 1857, The Times praised the painting as "masterly in conception and effect" and considered it a worthy companion piece to Monarch of the Glen.
Historical Ownership and Exhibitions
Edward Betts originally paid £800 for Scene in Braemar. However, a banking crisis compelled him to sell the painting along with the rest of his collection in 1868.
The artwork has been exhibited publicly on several occasions. Notably, in 2005 it was displayed in Edinburgh alongside Monarch of the Glen as part of a major celebration of Landseer's work.
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