Steven van der Meulen (fl.1534-1568), Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, sold for £2,596,500. © Sotheby's Images

LONDON.-The earliest known full-length image of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) sold this morning at Sotheby’s in London for an unprecedented £2,596,500. The work, which had for most of its life remained hidden from the public eye, attracted interest today from six determined bidders who together drove the price well beyond the pre-sale estimate of £700,000-£1,000,000. In a room tense with anticipation, the hammer finally fell to a bid from Philip Mould Fine Paintings Ltd, London.

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