Turner landscape fetches £9.1m
A Turner painting has been sold at auction in the United States for 12.9 million dollars (£9.1 million).
The Temple of Jupiter Panellenius was picked up by an anonymous bidder during a sale at Sotheby's in New York. The price paid includes auction house commission. It the second highest price ever realised for a painting by the British master.
The oil landscape is one of only three made by Joseph Mallord William Turner depicting ancient Greece.
First exhibited in 1816, it has for the past 25 years remained in the private collection of fine art dealer Richard Feigen.
It was sold as part of Sotheby's Important Old Masters Paintings sale.
The winning bid was made over the telephone by a buyer who wishes to remain anonymous, according to the auction house.
In a separate sale at Christie's in New York on Wednesday, a quartet of Turner paintings sold for close to 1.8 million US dollars (£1.3 million).
The record for a Turner was achieved by Christie's in New York in April 2006. A Venetian landscape by the artist sold for 35.9 million US dollars (£25 million).
more news on auction results at NY Times and BBC News
