This pastel portrait of a Singaporean merchant by Percy Carpenter (1820-95) is believed to have broken a 30-year auction record for the artist.
Consigned from a deceased estate and entered with a £500-700 estimate at West Sussex saleroom Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) on May 13, the signed 20 x 14in (52 x 36cm) pastel on paper work, dated April 1857, attracted multiple bids. It was knocked down to a buyer in Singapore for £20,000.