17th century portrait of King William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne sells for nearly half the estimated price

A 17th Century painting of King William III in action at the Battle of the Boyne has sold for £21,500 at an auction house in east Belfast.

The equestrian portrait depicted King William III on horseback amid the battlefield during the famous Battle of the Boyne.

The painting was dated at 1693 and attributed to the Anglo – Dutch painter Jan Wyck, in collaboration with the Dutch portrait painter Constantijn Netscher.

Tate Britain consulted with experts at the RKD, the Dutch art historical institute in The Hague and it is believed that two artists worked together to create the handsome picture, Jan Wyck for the battle and rearing grey horse elements and Constantijn Netscher for the head of King William III.

The King William III painting, with an estimated value of £30,000 to £40,000, attracted significant interest with it being sold to an interested party in London.

Bloomfield Auctions also sold an American sterling silver coffee/tea service by Gorham for £4,800. It belonged to the American socialite Esther McCreery living in Hillsboro, California in the 1920/30s. The auction house believes the tea service would have been used when Ms McCreery entertained Bob & Delores Hope, Daniel Boon and Charlie Chaplin among others.

It travelled with her when she was in the Bahamas, Australia and other parts of the world, and was used when entertaining the young Prince Philip when he attended a polo match in the US.

Karl Bennett, Bloomfield Auction's managing director, said: "I'm delighted with the sale today with both items selling well.

"The painting is very significant in terms of its history and how attractive it is. At this stage, all I can say is that the painting is returning to London and that the American tea service is going to a private collector in Northern Ireland."