A PAINTING worth hundreds of pounds has been stolen from the Suffolk offices of a prestigious auction house.

A PAINTING worth hundreds of pounds has been stolen from the Suffolk offices of a prestigious auction house.

The small 12cm by 16cm depiction of shipping off the coast of Harwich harbour by the 19th Century Ipswich painter John Moore was taken from Bonhams' offices in Bury St Edmunds.

A spokeswoman for the police said it was on display in Athenaeum Lane and the owner had seen it shortly before it was stolen last Tuesday.

The oil-on-board painting was on sale at Bonhams and was valued at between £500 and £700.

Moore, who painted landscapes and coastal scenes, worked in Woodbridge before moving to Ipswich in about 1850.

He became a member of the Ipswich Art Club in 1875, and exhibited 332 works there.

The painting, which had “Harwich Harbour” inscribed on the back, was stolen between 6pm and 6.30pm.

Police say nothing else was stolen by the thief.

The Harwich harbour paining was one of a number of works by Moore put up for sale at Bonhams's East Anglian View sale last Thursday.

Moore's painting “Sailing vessels off the coast” made £10,200 during the sale.

Anybody with information should contact Pc Pat O'Donnell on 01284 774100 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.