It would never have been one of his major works, but the swiftness and urgency with which the tale is told, and the potent composition of even the most simple scenes, reveal the touch of the master.

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He was virtually unknown as an artist during his lifetime, but his reputation soared in the years after his suicide at the age of 37 following years of mental illness, and his works now hang in major museums and galleries around the globe.

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For his day job, Drum Major Ward, of Northallerton, North Yorks, now works as an accommodation services accountant for the Army, sorting out furnishings for soldiers' homes.

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Ms. Bekman cites a client who sits on two major museum boards, but uses the site to buy more modestly priced works to mix with his blue-chip finds.

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