The 2 x 1 1/2in (5 x 4cm) watercolours had failed when offered by a national charity in a major London auction house at £800-1200 and so Mr Kirk tempted buyers with a modest £300-400 estimate.
However he thought them worth promoting with prominent illustrations and full catalogue notes.
The group caught the attention of several interested bidders selling to one at £3000.
Moghul miniatures hold court at £3000
On a day when some unusual offerings caught the eye at the Nottingham sale held by Mellors & Kirk, one such lot was a set of 36 Anglo-Indian Company School Delhi or Agra oval miniatures dating to 1827 and depicting India’s nobility and their wives, six of whom are shown right.