Sheep painting goes under hammer

The painting has been a popular Christmas card for about 30 years

A painting reproduced for one of the most popular Christmas card designs will be auctioned in Edinburgh later.

Aberdeenshire laird Joseph Farquharson, who died in 1935, painted "Sheep Beneath Snow Encumbered Branches" more than 100 years ago.

The picture, of sheep in a snowy field under a setting sun, is described as a subtle depiction of a winter landscape.

The current owner bought it for £1,450 40 years ago. Auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull expect it fetch £70,000.

Jo Marchbank, of Hallmark Cards, said the picture was one of the company's most popular Christmas cards.

Ms Marchbank said Farquharson created a "unique atmosphere" in his paintings.

She described the image as a "dramatic yet subtle depiction of a winter landscape with a beautiful light bathing the scene from a setting sun".

Farquharson, who was laird of a 20,000-acre Aberdeenshire estate, died in 1935, aged 88.

It is thought he exhibited the painting at the Royal Academy in 1901.

It has been a popular Christmas card for about 30 years.