据英国《每日电讯报》12月10日报道，这件石刻艺术品曾是英国一对名为比斯顿的中年夫妇为自己离去的宠物猫温克尔挑选的墓碑。比斯顿先生曾是一名石匠，他于几年前在一个采石场发现了这块石灰石。当时比斯顿先生认为，它除了作为一个漂亮的墓碑外，没有任何价值。但比斯顿先生万万没有想到，他家猫咪的漂亮墓碑竟然是一件千年古董。

　　日前，这件中世纪的石刻艺术品在英国索思比拍卖行以17.5万英镑的价格被一位私人收藏家买走。加上买主额外支付的费用，它的实际价值达到了20.16万英镑，远远超出它最初4万至6万英镑的估价。

　　报道说，雕刻品上刻的是圣·彼得的半身像，圣·彼得右手紧贴胸前，并伸出俩手指做出祝福手势。专家认为，这件石刻品应该是10世纪初的作品，它很可能是一件大型石刻品的一部分，但可惜的是，它被放在比斯顿家的花园后已有些损坏。去年，79岁的比斯顿先生去世后，比斯顿太太决定将其出售。(蒋黎黎)

　　A 1,000-year-old limestone carving which lived at the bottom of an elderly couple's garden as a memorial to their cat has been sold for more than ?200,000.

　　Johnny and Ruth Beeston had no idea of the value of the historic piece which marked the resting place of Winkle, a stray tabby they adopted.

　　Mr Beeston, a stonemason who found the slab in a quarry years ago, thought it would make a nice headstone and nothing more.

　　But today the medieval carving soared way above its estimated asking price of between ?40,000 and ?60,000 when it was bought by a private collector.

　　It was sold at Sotheby's auction house in London for ?175,000, but with the buyer's premium added it cost ?201,600.

　　The Oolithic limestone carving shows a half-length figure of St Peter with his right hand clasped to his chest and two fingers raised in benediction.

　　It is thought to be part of a larger panel of stone carving or a section of a cross shaft.

　　The piece dates from the early 10th century and was spotted in the Beestons' garden in Dowlish Wake, Somerset, by Chris Brewchorne, a local potter and amateur historian.

　　Mr Beeston, 79, died last year and his wife decided to put it up for sale.