The 19 1/2 x 15 1/2in (49 x 39cm) canvas, right, had hung in the same local private home for over half a century, and although it was in restored and relined condition, this had happened back in the 1960s.
No fewer than 13 telephone bidders lined up to contest the work, supported by at least four bidders in the room who were prepared to take the bidding up to £10,000.
The hammer finally fell at £16,500, bid by a leading London dealer in the room and underbid by competition from as far afield as New York, Australia and Italy.
Wardle’s worldwide appeal
A POPULAR breed, a popular artist, plenty of puppies, totally fresh to the market, a come-hither estimate... When it came to dog paintings, this signed Arthur Wardle (1864-1949) canvas of a long-haired Jack Russell terrier with her pups had pretty well everything going for it when it came under the hammer at Wintertons (15% buyer’s premium) of Lichfield on March, estimated at just £2000.
