Bonham's sixth sale of South African art in London yesterday made a total £2.5m.

The auction saw new world record prices achieved for six artists:

Christo Coetzee: still life with fruit, a banjo, and a birdcage sold for £64,800, four times the previous record for the artist

Maud Frances Eyston Sumner: The Sea of Galilee sold for £62,400; some 20% more than the previous record

John Meyer: Ripplemead turnoff sold for £18,000 - a new record.

Dumile Feni-Mhlaba: Lion and cub sold for £12,000; doubling the previous record for the artist.

Jurgen Schadeberg: Nelson Mandela in his law office, Johannesburg, 1952 sold for £6,000.

And Stella Shawzin: Hero washerwoman unframed sold for £5,040 again a world record for the artist.

However the top lot was a glowing Irma Stern titled 'ripe fields' which made £252,000 against an estimate of £150-200,000.

The sale offered further proof of the merits of art investment. The market is not just for millionaires. investment pieces are available for as little as £5,000 per piece.

If you are interested in building an art portfolio please do not hesitate to contact us +44 (0) 117 933 9500 or email info@paulfrasercollectibles.com