A LEAD statue discovered hidden among bushes in a Worcestershire garden could make more than £10,000 when it comes under the hammer next month.

It is the work of Swiss sculptor Louis Weingartner, who moved to Bromsgrove in 1904 and became chief designer, sculptor and metal worker of the Bromsgrove Guild, a group of craftsmen dedicated to the Arts and Crafts movement.

“This might be the most important Bromsgrove Guild piece to come on the market in many years. I was pretty excited to find it,” said Mark Hannam, senior valuer of Fieldings Auctioneers.

He uncovered the statue as he searched an overgrown area of back garden while preparing an inventory following the death of the owner. He said: “It was horrendously heavy. It took eight men to lift it.”

Called Dryad and Boar, the 144mm tall sculpture depicts a boy hunter attacking a wild boar, the figure clad in a loin cloth, wearing a belt and carrying a hunting horn. His left leg is forward and his left hand holds the ear of the boar, while his right arm is raised and gripping an iron tipped spear formed from a branch. It stands on a square plinth base and is stamped to the reverse Bromsgrove Guild Worcestershire. The boar is the emblem of Bromsgrove, dating back to mediaeval times when the town stood in a forest.

Mr Hannam said: “We are auctioning the statue on Saturday, March 9, at our showrooms in Stourbridge. “It has an estimate of £4,000-£6,000, but could easily exceed £10,000 or more as it is such a rare item.”

The original Dryad and Boar was made in bronze by Louis Weingartner and a further example was cast in lead, possibly for Nettlebed Park in Oxfordshire, at a cost of £150. This could be the example now discovered in Worcestershire.

Weingartner trained in Florence and worked as a jeweller for 20 years before moving to Bromsgrove. He left in 1921 to work for Martyn’s of Cheltenham. The Bromsgrove Guild, which was active from 1898-1966, was founded by Walter Gilbert. It produced work in a variety of mediums, bronze, lead, glass, wood and textiles and employed highly skilled craftsmen. It became famous for making the main gates at Buckingham Palace, which are now on constant display.