A PORTRAIT miniature picked up by the Oldham art collector Charles Lees for twenty pounds is expected to make as much as £8,000 at auction this weekend.

The miniature, which depicts the famous 17th-century beauty Carey, Countess of Peterborough, is to go under the hammer at the David Duggleby Saleroom in Scarborough on Saturday.

The portrait, painted by the Swedish-born artist Christian, is the star piece in a collection depicting the rich and famous of the Georgian period.

The Countess was a Royal maid of honour and one of the ‘Hampton Court Beauties’, the most glamorous and fashionable ladies of the court of William III.

Collectable specialist Dannielle Blackledge said: “The pictures in the collection are exquisite portraits of the rich and famous of the Georgian period, by some of the most talented miniaturists of the age.

“Half of them were painted by artists who were Royal favourites, all the artists had aristocrat patrons, and one is the work of an artist who was the go-to chap for anyone at the court of Napoleon who wanted the early 19th century equivalent of a selfie.”

She added: “Charles Lees bought the miniature of the Countess of Peterborough on April 9, 1883, from the Pall Mall antique dealer Ernest Renton.

"We’ve got the receipt, so we know he paid twenty pounds. Carey will make a bit more than that on Saturday, we think somewhere in the region of £4,000 to £8,000.”

Another of the portrait miniatures in the collection that has been attracting particular interest ahead of the auction is that of a young David Murray, the Second Earl of Mansfield, painted by George Engleheart, one of the great miniaturists of the late Georgian period.

The Oldham Times:

David Murray, the Second Earl of Mansfield.

Engleheart was appointed Miniature Painter to King George III, producing at least 25 portraits of the King, as well as others of various members of the Royal Family. His Murray portrait is expected to make £3,000-£5,000.

For more information on the auction visit the David Duggleby website.