A NINETEENTH century painting of Tintern Abbey has made an unexpected appearance during London Art Week.

The piece titled ’Elegant Figures admiring the Ruins of Tintern Abbey’ was sold to a German collector last week. It depicts the abbey ruins being admired by various figures.

The 180x120 cm oil on canvas was painted by an un-named English artist and dated to the first quarter of the 19th century. It was sold by a gallery called Paolo Antonacci Roma, which was here exhibiting as part of the bi-annual London Art Week.

Gallery owner Paolo Antonacci referred to the painting as a ’sleeper’. Believing it was "impossible to value". Sleepers are pieces that are often unattributed, often by the oversight of experts and as a result can be sold for far below their true value.

The picture’s asking price was set at â?¬45,000 and was confirmed to have been sold for a "five figure sum" by a spokesperson for London Art Week.

Paulo Antonacci’s collection in Rome distinguished itself for its expertise and attention to paintings from the period between the late 18th century to the first half of the 20th century.