Sheep painting goes for £145,000

A painting reproduced for one of the most popular Christmas card designs has been auctioned for £145,000.

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 owner bought it 40 years ago for £1,450. Auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull had expected it to fetch £70,000.

The buyer, from Scotland, was said to be "over the moon" after the keen bidding.

The painting is for a private collection.

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.