A painting by a leading 20th century female artist has sold for £74,000 at auction.

Dame Laura Knight's Hop Picking was purchased by a UK-based, anonymous buyer via phone at an auction by Costwold-based Kinghams on July 25.

The painting was consigned by a Herefordshire-based private client whose family had inherited it, and outsold the estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 published in the auction catalogue.

Measuring 75 by 62cm, it is thought to depict gypsy hop pickers in Worcestershire, with a gypsy boy sitting and looking at the viewer while his companions or family work around him.

Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1971, the piece is thought to date from the late 1930s.

Ms Knight, who lived from 1877 to 1970, was part of the British Impressionist movement and worked with oils, watercolour, and print techniques.

Operating in a male-dominated milieu, she paved the way for greater respect for fellow female artists.

Staithes and Cornwall were where Derbyshire-born Ms Knight honed her craft, and in the 1930s she befriended and painted communities of gypsies.

After World War Two, she was assigned to depict the Nuremberg Trials.

Kinghams are sourcing paintings by Ms Knight and other artists for a Fine and Decorative Arts auction taking place on October 3.

More information can be obtained by contacting Adrian Rathbone at adrian@kinghamsauctioneers.com or via phone at 01608 695695.