Dorothea Sharp painting comes to light in Schull

An untitled painting by the English artist Dorothea Sharp (1874-1955) has come to light in West Cork. Hegarty's auctioneers said the "fresh- to-the-market" picture was among a collection of art and antiques owned by the late Frank Whyte who died, aged 93, earlier this year.

Whyte was among the sailors who survived the sinking of the merchant naval vessel, the Irish Oak which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in May 1943. He later moved to England and worked with British Airways before retiring to Denfra House in Schull.

The signed oil-on-canvas painting, measuring 60cm by 74cm, depicts a girl herding goats and is estimated at €10,000-€20,000. It will be auctioned, along with other items from Whyte's estate, in Hegarty's Auction Rooms, Bandon, Co Cork on Tuesday, December 10th.

A similar, though smaller, painting by Dorothea Sharp titled The Little Goatherd sold at Christie's in London in 2003 for £8,963.