YORK'S "lost" Lowry painting is unlikely to be brought back to the city after being sold at auction to an anonymous buyer for £78,000.

The painting, which depicts York as seen from Melrosegate complete with the artist's trademark "matchstick" figures, was one of two works of the city commissioned from the Lancashire artist in the 1950s.

It was bought by a York solicitor after the City Art Gallery had the chance to buy it for just £50.

Instead, the gallery snapped up its sister - a painting of Clifford's Tower, now one of gallery's most popular works.

A spokeswoman for London auctioneers Bonhams, where the sale of the painting took place yesterday, said she could not reveal the identity of the buyer, but the buyer was not from Yorkshire.

It means the painting is unlikely to come home to York, despite 11th-hour moves by the city council and the Civic Trust to investigate ways to raise funds to buy the work.

Earlier this week, the Evening Press reported the city council had been unable to secure funds to bid for the painting.However, the publicity surrounding its sale prompted a Yorkshire collector to lend the gallery his own Lowry painting.

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