THERE was 'Pandemonium' at Christies auction house when a painting first owned by a Victorian Bolton businessman fetched £1.6 million.

An American dealer bought the John Martin masterpiece -- called Pandemonium -- when it went under the hammer. It was a world record for a painting by the artist.

The work was first owned by Benjamin Hick, a founder of Bolton company Hick Hargreaves, who bought the picture from North-easterner Martin in 1841.

Mr Hick, who made his fortune in the iron foundry business, bought the work from the North-east artist and displayed it at the Royal Academy in London.

It was a shrewd purchase, as Martin was a star of his day and crowds paid to see the painting, inspired by Milton's vision of hell in Paradise Lost.

Two years later, Mr Hick sold the painting to Lancashire art collector George Whiteley. It remained in the Whiteley family for 100 years before it was bought by antiques expert Peter Nahum.

He then sold it to America's wealthy Forbes family, publishers of the Forbes Financial magazine.

Mr Nahum said it was the most expensive painting he had ever bought.

He said: "It is a brilliant work by the most important artist of his day. For Mr Hick, it was the equivalent of buying the best of the best.

"In an era with no film and video, this was the type of thing you bought to inspire the imagination."

A Christies spokesman said: "It is a fantastic result. It exceeded even our wildest expectations."