Isabella and the Pot of Basil, one of the best-known examples of pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt's work, has set a new auction record at Christie's.
 Isabella and the Pot of Basil was painted shortly after the death of Fanny, Holman Hunt's wife, and he created the work in tribute to her, using her features for the model |
Selling on June 17 in London, the painting topped the Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite and British Impressionist Art sale at £2.8m ($4.8m).
The previous record for Holman Hunt's work was set a £1.8m ($3m) in 1994, marking a 2.38% per annum rise in value.
In total, the auction realised £10.1m - a 26.2% increase on the £8m pre-sale estimate.
One of the main features of the sale was the collection of Viriginia Surtees, author of the catalogue raisonne of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Rossetti's Rosa Triplex, a magnificent triple portrait of William Morris' daughter, May, sold for £902,500 ($1.5m).
Prosperine, one of the greatest compositions that Rossetti ever produced, made $5.2m in November 2013 to set a new auction record for his work.
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