A Pablo Picasso Grand Vase aux Femmes Nues has more than doubled its estimate to sell for £728,750 ($909,407) at Sotheby's.

It had been valued at £350,000 ($436,765) ahead of the November 22 sale in London.

The Attenboroughs bought Picasso's Grand Vase in Vallauris, France

The lot was one of a number of Picasso ceramics offered from the collection of late actor-director Richard Attenborough and wife Sheila Sim, who were early collectors of these works.

Lord and Lady Attenborough would regularly drive from London in an old Bentley to holiday in Vallauris, the town in the south of France where Picasso produced his pottery.

Their son Michael explained: "For some reason this was the only place you could see the latest Picasso ceramics.

"And even I remember dad explaining to me that this was an area of Picasso's work that wasn't taken terribly seriously; people were more concerned with his drawings and paintings.

"He often picked up three or four per year."

Other highlights included a Visage du Femme vase that realised £260,750 ($325,390).

It's a one of a kind work Picasso produced in 1951.

The collection brought in £3m ($3.7m), with most of the lots selling for well over estimate. Clearly the Attenboroughs were on to something.

We have a postcard signed by Picasso for sale.

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