Claim halts sale of Roadshow find

A painting by the 19th century American artist Winslow Homer was pulled from auction last week, after an unexpected claim by one of the artist's family.

The watercolour, Children under a Palm Tree, was discovered on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow last summer and was due to be sold in New York on 21 May.

But the auction house revealed the artwork was withdrawn when a "claim by another family member was made".

The rare painting was expected to fetch more than $150,000 (£95,000).

Thought to have been painted on a visit to Cuba, it depicts two young girls and a boy dressed in traditional Spanish-style dress. They are seated in front of a large ceramic pot containing a palm leaf.

The painting is an unusual subject for Homer, considered one of America's greatest 19th century artists.

His sought after marine-inspired watercolours have fetched as much as £2m at auction.

Fly tip

The artwork was presented to Sotheby's auction house earlier this year after being discovered on the BBC One show last year.

It had been rescued from a fly tip in Ireland more than twenty years ago, and was identified by art dealer Philip Mould.

A spokeswoman for Sotheby's said the auction house had contacted "descendants of the family to whom it had been linked, who advised us they had no claim".

But the work was withdrawn when an oral claim by another family member was made just prior to last week's auction.

She added that Sotheby's had been "presented with no documentary evidence to support the claim".

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