Buyer pays �2.3m for Angel model

The scale model was expected to fetch �800,000

A scale model of the iconic Angel of the North has sold at auction for almost �2.3m - approaching three times the price of the real thing.

The 78.5in (1.9 metres) high replica of Antony Gormley's 20m high original, which overlooks the A1 in Gateshead, was sold at Sotheby's on Tuesday.

One of five smaller versions created by Gormley from a cast of his own body, it was expected to fetch �800,000.

An anonymous buyer paid �2.28m for the artwork which has a 16ft (5m) wingspan.

A spokesman for Sotheby's said the lot, part of a catalogue of contemporary works from a range of artists, attracted a "huge amount" of interest.

Mr Gormley received a flat fee of just under �10,000 from the sale.

A range of events are taking place on Tyneside this year to mark the Angel's 10th anniversary.

Antony Gormley's design was chosen by Gateshead Council from a shortlist of international artists in 1994. It took a further four years to construct and install.

The full size statue has a wingspan of 177ft (54m) - wider than that of a Boeing 767.

With its exposed hillside position, the Angel's wings and foundations had to be built to withstand strong south-easterly winds of up to 100 miles an hour.

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