15/11/2007 05:40:11
A 1930s sketch by the artist L S Lowry has sold at auction for £5,280, despite being crammed onto the inside of a cigarette packet.
The pencil sketch, which measures only 2.5 by 4.25 inches, depicts a group of figures playing football in an industrial landscape. It was sold yesterday by Nantwich-based fine art auctioneers Peter Wilson Ltd, who had expected it to fetch £2,000-4,000.
Although Lowry is not thought to have been a smoker, he made the sketch on the inside of an opened out packet of Wild Woodbine cigarettes and gave it to his friend Arthur Delaney.
The Manchester-born artist is best known for his pictures of the industrial districts of Northern England, such as Salford and Pendlebury, which often contain stylised 'matchstick' figures.
Two years after Lowry's death in 1976, Manchester pop duo Brian and Michael had a number one hit with their tribute song, Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs.