A COLLECTION of paintings by celebrated Scottish artist Jack Vettriano have been sold for more than £800,000.

The 12 paintings went under the hammer at auctioneers Bonhams in Edinburgh on Tuesday, but just seven of them sold, reaching a total of £837,900.

The total private collection was expected to fetch up to £1.2 million.

Among the highlights were 'Waltzers' which sold for £236,500, 'The Road to Nowhere' which reached £218,500, 'The Missing Man II' which sold for £112,900 and 'Along Came a Spider' which went for £92,500.

Bonhams head of Scottish art, Chris Brickley, said: "This was a stunning collection and I am not surprise that it proved so popular with collectors."

Vettriano, who grew up in Methil in Fife, visited the collection ahead of the sale to look at his work, which dates between 1992 and 2004.

It was described by Bonhams as "one of the most comprehensive collections of Vettriano's work ever assembled".

Entirely self-taught, Vettriano first found fame in 1989 when two of his canvases submitted to the Scottish Royal Academy sold on the first day.

His distinctive work is now known all over the world and he counts Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Tim Rice and Robbie Coltrane among his supporters.