Art set to fly out of sale

A WATERCOLOUR of a pheasant in flight by the celebrated Lothians bird artist Archibald Thorburn is expected to fetch up to £30,000 at auction next month.

The Midlothian-born artist, who died in 1935, had a life-long love of birds and was vice-president of the RSPB.

Flying Pheasant was owned by Sir Crawford McCullagh, a prominent Ulster politician and the first man to suggest holding a period of silence to commemorate soldiers who had died in the First World War.

It will go under the hammer at Bonham’s on June 21.