A newly discovered artwork Southern Plains Indian Warrior by French-born painter and illustrator, Henry F Farny, sold for more than three times the pre-sale estimate at Bonhams at £224097.

The masterpiece, which was discovered at an estate sale, was estimated for around £61819 to 92729 pounds. It was part of Bonhams' May auction of California and Western Paintings and Sculpture which offered an array of important western scenes.

"The consignor walked into our monthly 'Appraisal Day' in early 2012 at our Los Angeles office with what they thought was a print of a great painting," Scot Levitt, Vice President and Head of Fine Arts Department at Bonhams, said of the discovery. "I had the pleasure of sharing the news with them that their newly discovered item was not a print at all but a painting worth six-figures. They were shocked to find out that their item turned out to be a great work of art."

In addition to the discovery, artists such as Franz Arthur Bischoff, Alson Skinner Clark, John Frost, John Marshall Gamble, Frank Tenney Johnson, Hanson Puthuff, Granville Redmond, William Frederick Ritschel and William Wendt were prominently featured within the May auction.

Highlights included three paintings by noted Plein Air artist Granville Redmond titled "Coastal Storm" sold for £83147 pounds, "California Poppy Field" sold for £60892 pounds and "California Wildflowers on Rolling Hills" for £34773 pounds.

"Drawing on the contours and colours of the rich California landscape, Redmond illuminates ideal places with pointillist brushwork and rich shadows. The three works represent powerful examples of his quintessential style," Levitt stated following the auction.

Further Impressionist works of note included two paintings by William Wendt titled Laguna Canyon and A vista of California.

Besides this, the May sale also featured a strong selection of western paintings. Works of note included an Alaskan scene titled Mount Mckinley by Eustace Paul Ziegler and Valley of the Rio Grande by Russell Cowles. Both the works sold above estimate and established new world auction records for the artists.

California Storm Los Angeles