AN iconic piece of Monty Python artwork has sold at auction for £16,800.

The Foot's price started at £2,600 but a combination of five telephone bids, internet bidders and a room bidder all vying for the piece of cinematic history, saw the value rocket.

The timing of the sale could not be better with the surviving members of the comedy ensemble performing sell dates as part of a farewell series of events.

A telephone bidder eventually secured the artwork and the vendor David Brookman was in the Vectis auction house in Thornaby.

The cameraman said he had hoped it may go as high as £2,500 and he had his wife were thrilled and shocked as it started to climb higher and higher.

He told the auctioneer they had originally decided to sell the foot as they had decided to downsize and after the artwork had been through two house moves, stored under a bed, in the loft and even stored at a friend’s house, they decided it was time to part with it so someone else could enjoy it for themselves.