A view over Rome painted by artist J.M.W. Turner was sold for £29.7 million in London, setting a new record at auction for the British master.

Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino was bought on Wednesday for the equivalent of $44.9 million or €35.7 million at Sotheby's by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the auction house said.

The previous auction record for a Turner work was £20.5 million, which was set by Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio in April 2006, it said in a statement.

The 1839 masterpiece sold Wednesday was the British artist's final painting of the Italian capital, completed at a period when he was regarded as being at the height of his technical powers.

The oil painting, which fetched far more than the expected top sale price of £18 million, had only appeared once on the open market since it was painted more than 170 years ago, Sotheby's said.

It was sold by a descendant of the fifth Earl of Rosebury, who bought the painting while on honeymoon in 1878, according to the auction house.

David Moore-Gwyn, from Sotheby's, hailed the "tremendous and much-deserved result".

"This breathtaking image shows the artist at his absolute best and, for collectors, it ticked all the boxes - quality, superb condition, provenance and freshness-to-the-market," he said.

The Turner sale was just the latest to smash an auction record, as confidence returns to the art market after a slowdown during the economic crisis.

It was part of a sale of Old Master and British Paintings, which made a total of £53.5 million.

Another highlight of the sale was three paintings by the Brueghel dynasty of artists.

Pieter Brueghel the Younger's The Kermesse of Saint George with the Dance Around the Maypole sold for £2.5 million, while his The Outdoor Wedding Feast went for £1.6 million.

A Flemish village scene by Jan Brueghel the Elder made £1.2 million.

Other artists whose work sold at the auction included Bernard van Orley, Jan Lievens and Isack van Ostade.