A LOST painting by J D Fergusson that was discovered in a French attic has sold for more than £600,000 - setting a new worldwide record for a work by the Scottish Colourist.

John Duncan Fergusson's painting Poise went under the hammer at Christie's in London, where it had been valued at around £120,000.

However, ferocious bidding on the night meant it fetched more than five times that amount, reaching a hammer price of £638,500. The previous record for a Fergusson work was set in 2010 when the painting Grace McColl was sold for £565,250. Poise, which dates to 1916, had not been seen since it was exhibited in London in 1918 until it was found by its present owners, a brother and sister, who were clearing the attic of their family home in Giverny. Their grandparents were said to have been acquaintances of Claude Monet around the time when a community of painters were living in the area.

A second Fergusson painting, Anne Estelle Rice, was also found in the family loft and will be auctioned today, with an estimated hammer price of between £40,000 and £60,000.

Six paintings by LS Lowry also went under the hammer last night, along with sculptures by Henry Moore, Lynn Chadwick, Dame Elisabeth Frink and Naum Gabo.