Rare Gandhi oil portrait sold for nearly £153,000

A rare oil painting of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has sold at auction in the UK for £152,800.

Rhyanon Demery, Bonhams, Head of Sale, Travel and Exploration said "This is a portrait of Gandhi by Claire Leighton, and it's a very rare thing, because it is the only one that we know that he ever sat for, and it's fresh to the market. So really, it's very special in terms of, in terms of the auction world, and really for the wider world to see such a portrait of such a well-known man."

The 1931 painting by British-American artist Clare Leighton is believed to be the only oil portrait Gandhi sat for, according to the painter's family who have had the painting since it was created, and Bonhams, where it was auctioned online.