Bird-nesting painting by acclaimed artist Dorothea Sharp was star performer at art auction in Yorkshire

                                                                

This charming study of girls inspecting a bird's nest was a star Lot  at a sale last Saturday' at Leyburn in North Yorkshire. Tennants auction house had estimated it would fetch between £10,000 and £15,000, but the bidding reached £16,000 before the hammer fell. Much of the high price can be attributed to the popularity of the artist, Dorothea Sharp (1873-1955), who is noted for her sweet studies, often of children at play on the beach. Another decent performer was the painting by Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) of a Snipe. Expected to realise between £2,000 and £3,000, it fetched £4,800.