London – A rediscovered masterpiece in watercolour, A Reception in the Harem by John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876), unseen in public for over 60 years, was the top lot at Bonhams 19th Century & British Impressionist Paintings sale today (26 March) at Bonhams New Bond Street, London. The work, which had been in the same private collection since 1961, sold for £1,137,400.

The 69-lot sale made a total of £2,693,754.

Charles O'Brien, Head of 19th Century Paintings at Bonhams, commented: "An extraordinary watercolour by John Frederick Lewis, A Reception in the Harem, was an exciting discovery, having not been exhibited publicly for over 60 years. Rich in the intricate detail and the jewel-like colours that made Lewis' reputation, it is no wonder this work caught the eye of collectors eager to acquire a work by one of the greatest British Orientalist painters."

John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876) was one of England's most prominent 19th-century painters. He excelled in both oil and watercolour, was elected President of London's Old Watercolour Society in 1855 and was made an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1859 and a full member in 1865. Lewis's ten-year period of residency in Egypt in the 1840s led to the widespread belief that his incredibly popular scenes of the Middle East and North Africa, which he produced after 1850, were the work of a cultural insider.

By mixing watercolour pigments with Chinese white he discovered they could rival the look of oils. By the early 1860s, Lewis began to systematically produce two nearly identical versions of a work, one in oil, destined for exhibition at the Royal Academy, and one more elaborate version in watercolour for collectors.

A Reception in the Harem is a larger version of the celebrated oil painting by Lewis at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut.

Other highlights of the sale included:

• John Frederick Lewis, RA, POWS (British, 1804-1876), Interior of the Hagia Sophia. Sold for £190,900.

• Marie Spartali Stillman (British, 1844-1927), Mia suora Rachel. Sold for £140,100.

• Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (French, 1796-1875), Souvenir de la Rotte, près Rotterdam. Sold for £140,100.

• Sir Alfred James Munnings, PRA, RWS (British, 1878-1959), George Schicht on John Peel III. Sold for £127,400.

• Rudolf Ernst (Austrian, 1854-1932), The farrier. Sold for £108,350.