A SERIES of portraits by Welsh artist John Dyer have fetched a pretty price at auction.

Dyer, an 18th century painter from Carmarthenshire, was also an accomplished poet who later in life became an Anglican priest.

Born the son of a successful local lawyer in Llanfynydd in 1699, he grew up in Aberglasney, a mansion house and gardens in nearby Llangathen that is today a popular visitor attraction.

Dyer's career in the arts took him first to London and then to Italy, and it was his year and a half on the continent that inspired much of his painting and writing, including one poem titled The Ruins of Rome.

He returned to Britain and became an ordained priest in the Church of England, but continued writing and in 1757, the year of his death, published a poem titled The Fleece, that was based on his experiences as a farmer during his later years.

At auction last weekend, nine of Dyer's portraits went under the hammer among a collection of lots belonging to the artist, fetching a total of £25,040.

South Wales Argus: John Dyer's portraits of Robert (left) and Dorothy Dyer, which went up for auction on Sunday. Pictures: Courtesy of Hawleys auctioneers (hawleys.info)John Dyer's portraits of Robert (left) and Dorothy Dyer, which went up for auction on Sunday. Pictures: Courtesy of Hawleys auctioneers (hawleys.info)

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Among his own works, Dyer's portraits of his older brother Robert and sister-in-law Dorothy fetched the top price, selling for a combined £5,600.

And an oil portrait of Dyer himself sold for £6,000, though it is not known who painted it.

Other lots from Dyer's collection included a collection of leather-bound books that belonged to him and his family, including copies of his works The Fleece and The Ruins of Rome, that sold for a combined £3,600; and a collection of family letters that sold for £2,400.

  • This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.