LARGE 16th to 18th century oil portraits worthy of display in any art gallery, museum, or stately home will be going under the hammer in the Cotswolds next month.

Antiques auctioneer Moore Allen & Innocent will be selling the contents of a grand Cotswolds house on behalf of the owner.

Paintings, furniture, militaria, china, glass and garden ornaments and furniture are among the standout lots at this single-owner sale.

The best of the paintings include a portrait of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (1710-1771) with his grandson George Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, later 5th Duke of Marlborough (1776-1840) which was initially attributed to Thomas Gainsborough but has been identified as the work of the Irish portrait painter Hugh Douglas Hamilton (1740-1808).

The painting stands at an impressive 2.3 metres high, and is expected to achieve between £60,000 and £90,000.

Meanwhile, a portrait of the German prince Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg (1578-1653) in the manner of Sir Anthony Van Dyck is attributed to a follower of the leading English court painter of the 17th century.

The two-metre tall portrait shows the subject wearing a clasp of the Order of the Golden Fleece – a Roman Catholic order of chivalry which he received by converting to Catholicism and practising neutrality during the Thirty Years War.

Bids of between £10,000 and £15,000 are expected.

An 18th century full length family portrait of the Son and Daughters of Richard Clarke Esq 1727, attributed to James Francis Maubert (1666-1740) measuring one-and-a-half by two metres, is expected to achieve £10,000 to £15,000, while bids of £25,000 to £35,000 are invited on a pair of 17th century Anglo Dutch School portraits of a lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat ad lace ruff, and a gentleman in wide-brimmed hat with lace ruff, dated 1618 and 1617 respectively.

The auction also features a good collection of continental and English country furniture.

Best among the lots is a Spanish 18th century walnut 10-seat dining table, which commands an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000.

There is also a large collection of 19th century mahogany furniture, and Flemish-style hall chairs from the 1700s to the Victorian age, with estimates ranging from £300 to £500 each to £1,000 to £1,500 for pairs.

Among the militaria is a Victorian scarlet officer's shabraque – or saddle cloth – for the First Gloucestershire Hussars, which carries an estimate of £300 to £500, and two pairs of bamboo shafted lances with red and white pennants, each commanding an estimate of £150 to £250 per pair.

And from the grounds, a Georgian-style stone urn on a plinth standing at approximately 2.2 metres is expected to achieve £2,000 to £3,000, while a Haddonstone pedestal figure of Pan, standing at just under two metres tall, should sell for around £500 to £800.

The auction takes place on Friday, March 8 at the Norcote Saleroom in Cirencester. A full auction catalogue is available at mooreallen.co.uk