EDINBURGH.- Lyon & Turnbull have sold a major private collection of 21 paintings by Edinburgh born artist Sir William Russell Flint at auction of British & European Paintings today the 30th April 2014 for a total of £361,000. (Hammer plus commission).

Nick Curnow, Paintings Specialist and Managing Director of Lyon & Turnbull said “This was a great result we had a good mix of trade and private bidders with many of the paintings going to international buyers.”

Paintings included ‘The Dance of 1000 Flounces’ estimate £30,000-£50,000, which sold for £64,000, the celebrity of the collection, previously known as ‘Ladies of Almeria’. It is one of the most famous painting by Flint and it is also one of the most reproduced. The first Signed Print to fetch over one thousand pounds when published by Frost & Reed in 1952, “The Dance of the Thousand Flounces” is considered by many Russell Flint’s most representative work.

‘Cecilia reading Poems’, estimate £20,000-30,000 sold for £49,250 and ‘Dalitha’ also £20,000-30,000, sold for £26,450, show his fascination with the feminine beauty and with that of Cecilia Green in particular. Cecilia has been Flint's model, inspiration, assistant and friend for over 15 years and has been portrayed in painting after painting in a different role all the time.

Dalitha and a further four Flint paintings were bought by businessman Dr Dallas Burston, who now lives in jersey. He said “I have waited all my lifetime to buy some Russell Flints and having recently retired I was finally able to indulge my interest by buying five paintings from the Lyon & Turnbull sale.”

Pharmaceuticals provided the fortune for Burston, he owned 99% of Bartholomew Rhodes, which sold in 1999 for £19.8m, and also sold 99% of Ashbourne Pharmaceuticals for £32m the same year. He also has an interest in Polo owning the Dallas Burston Polo Grounds in Warwickshire.

Seven of the paintings were sold to private buyers outside of the UK.