A 19th century painting of a Beef Shorthorn cow has found its way back to its former owner’s family at the same time as raising £10,000 for the Beef Shorthorn Society’s membership development fund.

The painting had been donated to the society by the late Basil Mann, who had inherited it in 1994 from his uncle Alban Mann, himself a descendant of the cow’s owner, John Mann, of Fenstanton. It was auctioned at the society’s annual dinner at the Stirling Bull Sales, this past week.

Society operations manager, Clive Brown, explained that the painting had been in the society’s possession for the last three years, but that it had held back from doing anything with it during the pandemic. “It was decided to auction it this year as a way to close off the breed’s bicentenary celebrations,” he added.

Purchaser was Ashley Warren, of the Wappenham herd, Northamptonshire, who said: “The picture had been owned by my step-grandfather, Alban Mann. When he passed away in 1994, the painting was left to his nephew, Basil, and earlier this year I’d commented to my wife, Sheena, that following Basil’s death the painting must have found a new home elsewhere.

“A couple of days after that passing comment, I received the Beef Shorthorn newsletter and was amazed to see the news of the painting and the plan to auction it. It was such a surreal moment coming so soon after I’d had that conversation.”

Having contacted the society to explain his connection to the painting, Ashley headed to Stirling for the sole purpose of buying the painting. “The painting will have pride of place in our home and I will take enormous pleasure from seeing it every day,” he added.