A RARE bronze sculpture which was uncovered during a routine house valuation has sold for £386,500.

The family which owned the artwork, by 18th century Italian sculptor Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, had no knowledge of where it came from or how it came to be in their possession.

Douglas Girton, a specialist at Lyon & Turnbull, the firm which discovered the item, said: "This is a great result for this extremely rare item.

"We were conducting a routine valuation when we came across the bronze, nothing is known of its origins, how it came to be in the family's possession or where it had come from.

"After extensive research we found it was the long lost bronze originally ordered by Lord Burlington during his five-day visit to Florence."

Records show that Lord Burlington ordered the sculpture and never paid his bill so it was sent to London in the hope of finding a buyer. There is no record of what happened to it after that.

The piece, which depicts 'Ganymede and the Eagle', was originally valued at £100,000-150,000 but sold for more than double that at the auction in Edinburgh.

Mr Girton added: "There was intense bidding with potential buyers on the telephone and the internet as well as in the saleroom."