A MYSTERIOUS painting of Glasgow's Trongate is expected to fetch up to£15,000 when it goes under the hammer.

The canvas which depicts the 17th century Tron Church will be on display at The Lighthouse from November 17 to 18.

Signs such as J.Archibald Tobacconists and W. & G Millar are clear, and under close inspection you may also spot the bear-skin cap of a Royal Scots Dragoon guard among the crowd.

The famous statue of King William of Orange on horseback, now situated in Cathedral Square Gardens, stands in its original place outside the Tontine Building, where it stood for 163 years.

Auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull, who will host the eventual sale of the painting on December 10, were able to determine that the painting depicts the busy district 143 years ago in 1872 after researching the detailed shop signage and fashions worn by those on the street.

Philip Gregory, of Lyon & Turnbull, expressed his excitement over the find, and said that the company "had never seen a painting of Glasgow city in such architectural detail before".

However, the real surprise came after the specialists realised that the painting had no signature or marking of any kind, leaving them vexed as to the artist's identity.

"It's very obvious it was the Trongate, but we still have no idea who the painter was. You can tell it's of incredibly high quality. It was made by someone with a clear fascination of the buildings, and you can tell that they spent a lot of time getting them accurate.

"You just don't know whether it was someone who came to Glasgow to do the painting, or if it was by a local person," he said.

Despite the unresolved enigma, what the auction house was able to discern was the painting's value. With a competitive market for pieces of such a distinctive nature, the brief display at the Lighthouse may well present the last chance for the public to see the work before it disappears into a private collection.

Lyon & Turnbull's Fine Paintings & Sculpture and Scottish Art expert Charlotte Riordan had no doubts that the painting, which came from a collector in England, was a real find.

"It's possible that it was even commissioned from Glasgow, but there are not many examples of Scottish artists working in this way at the time. We don't know of anyone who worked in this way, there aren't any other works in the national collections similar to it, so it is a mystery."

However, the story may not have to end there and Riordan appealed for anyone with an idea of who set up their easel on the Trongate cobbles to step forward, and help to close the case.