A painting by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill will be auctioned at Christie’s as part of its Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale in London on October 21. Amaryllis Lily (1948) carries an estimate of £300,000–£500,000 ($396,000–$661,000).

The painting depicts a red amaryllis belladonna, otherwise known as a March lily, blooming in a plant pot situated on a table against a dark backdrop. Churchill gave the painting to his daughter, Lady Mary Soames, who then donated it in 1995 to the Churchill Fellowship. Proceeds from the sale will be used to support Churchill Fellowship’s “Making Space for the Arts” program.

“Amaryllis Lily is a striking example of Winston Churchill’s skill as a painter, demonstrating his sophisticated understanding of color and composition,” Pippa Jacomb, the house’s head of the modern British and Irish Art evening sale, said in a statement. “Painted in 1948, the work reflects the important influence of William Nicholson, particularly in its restrained composition and bold use of color, while also revealing the confidence Churchill developed as a still-life painter.”

Churchill’s love for painting started in the 1930s, when he befriended Nicholson, who also became his mentor. In a letter to the British art historian John Rothenstein, Churchill says that Nicholson is the “person who taught me most about painting.” Churchill and Nicholson would paint at Chartwell Manor, Churchill’s family home in Kent, where a studio was built in the garden.

Churchill’s auction record was set in 2021 when Christie’s sold Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque (1943) for £8.29 million.