A MASTERPIECE by Spanish painter Luis Meléndez (1716-1780) sold for £3.5 million (€4.181m) at Christie's in London on Thursday - a world record price for the old master at auction. The painting Oranges, nuts, spices, boxes of sweetmeats, a jug and a cask on a tablewas one of the highlights of the sale of a private European collection and had been estimated at £2m-£3m.

Christie's described the artist as "one of the greatest still life painters of the European artistic tradition". About 100 paintings by Meléndez are extant. The artist lived in Madrid and received commissions from the Prince of Asturias - the future Carlos IV - but later seems to have fallen out with his royal patron and died a pauper.

A catalogue note for the painting noted that "it is extraordinary how much focus, intensity and drama Meléndez is able to convey in a small rectangle of canvas that purportedly deals with such a humble subject". The boxes in the painting probably contained Alfajores, a traditional Arab sweetmeat famous in Andalucia.