As expected, the sale of the late Arthur Armstrong's studio contents in Dublin last Tuesday generated considerable interest and excitement. But even auctioneer, John de Vere White seemed surprised at the hundreds of prospective buyers who attended, both for the viewing and the event itself.

Perhaps helped by the fact that some pictures carried no estimate or reserve, almost every lot was bought, a handful of which made prices as low as £50. Other pictures soared way over their expected amounts, none more so than Armstrong's brightly-coloured Two Men in a Spanish Interior, which sold for £7,700 (estimate £1,500-£2,000).

Another oil with the same pre-sale estimate, Attic Interior, went for £5,200, while both Studio 3 and Gerard Dillon's Cutting the Corn fetched £5,000. Two Boys outside a Cottage went for £4,500, Male Figure on the Twin Beaches sold for £4,400 and Rooftops, Churchill Street went under the hammer for £4,200. The sale realised a total of £191,000.