“The painting came up for sale as some of the less important works from the Hertfordshire Council Pictures for Schools Scheme in 2019,” said Mr Cantus.
“I went on a bit of a trolly-dash buying the works, as many where not expensive and there were many items in each lot.”
Mr Cantus needed illustrations for a book he has since written on Pictures for Schools.
This was a 20th Century project, the brainchild of Nan Youngman, which bought modern British art to lend to schools and “give children artwork that was inspiring to look at”.
The council made more than £440,000 from its initial sale of the artworks.
A council spokesperson said the sell-off followed a review of its collection and a public consultation.
“We sold a number of works judged to have little or no significance to Hertfordshire at auction in 2019… with the money raised being invested in local services,” they said.
“One of our aims in selling these works was to find them a better home than our storerooms where they could be properly displayed and appreciated, so whilst it may turn out that this specific painting was worth more, we are pleased that it has found a good home with a new owner.”