Le Chômeur by Egyptian painter Mahmoud Said (1897-1964) sold for £1,222,750 at Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art Sale in London on Tuesday 24 November. Painted by a modern Egyptian master, previously exhibited at the Louvre, and owned by Egyptian actress and fashion icon, Leila Shier, it had been estimated at £350,000-500,000.

The sale made a total of £2,493,401 with 73.68% sold by lot and 83.35% sold by value.

Nima Sagharchi, Bonhams Department Director of Islamic, Middle Eastern and South Asian Art said: "It is extremely rare for any of Said's work to be brought to auction as most of his pieces are held by institutions or in permanent collections and we are very pleased that Le Chômeur sold for nearly triple its pre-sale estimate. Poignant, enigmatic and graceful, the work is the archetypal synthesis of Said's inimitable portraits of noble Egyptian peasants and truly deserved its high-selling price."

Other Highlights Include:

• Ayman Baalbaki (Lebanon, born 1975) Untitled (Loss and Destruction). Sold for £75,250 (Estimate: £60,00-100,000)

• Mohamed Melehi (Morocccan, born 1936) Yellow Flame Between Black and Brown. Sold for £52,750 (Estimate: 20,000-30,000

• Dia Azzawi (Iraq, born 1939) Architectural Composition. Sold for £62,750 (Estimate £30,000-50,000)

• Two pieces from Egyptian Artist Omar El Nagdi- Nuit d'été Sold For £50,250 (Estimate: £50,000-60,000) and Viol a Sarajevo Sold For £47,750 (Estimate: £30,000 to £50,000).

• On The Banks of the Nile by Mahmoud Mokhtar. Tender and ennobling in its portrayal of the dignified Egyptian fellaha (peasant woman), the sculpture is evidence of an artist who captured the true spirit of the age in his compassionate renderings of the Egyptians and their everyday plight. Sold For £40,250. Estimate: £30,000- 40,000).