Long-Lost Jungle Book Paintings Found To Accompany One On Display In East Sussex

Two long-lost watercolours linked to The Jungle Book have been discovered in a London home — with another illustration from the same series already on display in East Sussex.

The newly uncovered paintings were created for Rudyard Kipling’s famous story and were originally part of a set of 16 illustrations.

Their discovery increases the number of known surviving originals from four to six.

One of the other surviving works, The Return of the Buffalo Herd, is currently displayed at Bateman's, the former home of Kipling.

The two newly found paintings had been hanging in a London house for decades without their significance being recognised.

They were painted by twin brothers Edward Detmold and Charles Maurice Detmold when they were just 20 years old.

One of the works shows the characters Mowgli and Bagheera, while the other, titled The Cold Lairs, depicts monkeys in the ruined city of the Bandar-log.

Both paintings will be auctioned at Roseberys on Tuesday, with estimates of between £15,000 and £20,000 each.

The illustrations were created in the early 1900s as part of a special portfolio commissioned by Macmillan and Co, which was published separately from the book.

Auction specialists say the chance to bid on two of the six surviving original illustrations is extremely rare.