An 18th-century map of Ireland done in coloured silks on an ivory linen background was sold for a record £9,775 sterling, more than 32 times the estimate, in an auction of textiles at Christie's, in London yesterday.
It was bought anonymously and set a new price level for a map sampler. The picture was framed and glazed and measured 14["] by 15["].
It was signed Susanna Harvey, "Mt Melick Boarding School 1791". At that time the school was a well-known Quaker establishment in Co Laois.
A salesroom spokeswoman said afterwards that the high price was accounted for by the fact that the piece was signed and dated by an identifiable person.
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It made one of the highest prices in an auction devoted to needlework and other textiles.