Original artwork from blockbuster Jaws movie fails to find a buyer at auction

JUST when you thought it was safe to go back in the saleroom ... the Jaws phenomenon has hit Dorchester.

The original artwork from the blockbuster Jaws movie went up for auction at a Dorchester auction house - but nobody snapped it up.

The terrifying image of a naked woman swimming in the sea, inches from the open jaws of a great white shark, has enthralled film enthusiasts and panicked swimmers since 1975 when the film smashed box office records around the world.

But when it went up for sale in the county town on America's Independence Day, which is the date around which the film is set, the punters weren't biting.

David and Jane Macklin, from Dorset, were selling the original painting, which was first commissioned by Pan Books' art director David Larkin for the 1974 book.

Designer David, 42, said: "My former colleague Bob Wardinski is friends with the artist John Holmes, who also painted the image for The Female Eunuch, which is in the New York Museum, and all the Pan Horror series.

"But John would not sell the Jaws image and it took Bob a long time to persuade him to sell it.

"I bought it in 1990 for £2,000 and never displayed it - we were afraid to because it was such an important piece of work."

Jane said: "It is very disappointing that it didn't meet its reserve price on the day - a bit of a shock really because there was certainly interest there.

"I think we might hang onto it for a bit longer and see whether we can sell it another way."

Artist John Holmes, who also painted images for many other Pan books, created the image for the book by Peter Bentley. It was then transformed into the epic film by ace director Steven Spielberg, when it grossed more than $260 million in America and won a string of Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

Interest was expected from all over the world when the 21-inches by 17-inches picture went under the hammer at Hy Dukes and Son in Weymouth Avenue yesterday.

Sales adviser Matthew Denny said: "It's quite a strong image - very atmospheric and striking.

"It also has a certificate of authenticity from the artist, verifying that it is the original picture."

The couple are now hoping that the enduring popularity of the film, where a great white shark terrorises the resort town of Amity, will draw in a number of specialist buyers if they market it in other ways.