All eyes on Landseer's magnificent stag - but note, too, there is a Golden Eagle in flight with its prey

                                                     

The Red Deer, the Mountain Hare, the Golden Eagle - and what's that bird perched (left) on a rock?

AUCTION house Sotheby's have high hopes for this painting by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-73). 

It reckons Scene in Braemar - Highland Deer will fetch between £3-million and £4-million  when it goes under the hammer in London on Wednesday July 1.

The artist is better known for his sister painting, Monarch of The Glen, which hangs in the Scottish National Museum  in Edinburgh, but this one has comparable power.

The catalogue note states:  "Thick-maned and massive of body, the stag is a  grizzled warrior, his immense brow points declaring his power.

"In the left foreground, a mature hind nestles in the sparse heather at his feet, whilst to the right a mountain hare has emerged from its burrow among the rocks -  a feature which suggested to at least one contemporary reviewer a scene from Aesop’s Fables. 

"Behind, another hind and a young stag, with their backs to the viewer, gaze up at a Golden Eagle carrying prey in its talons. 

"Some unknown presence has disturbed the creatures' restful tranquillity, and the scene is one of momentary tension and alertness."                              

The mystery bird - could it be a male Snow Bunting in breeding plumage?