With most of the art world off on summer vacation, August is an extremely quiet month on the auction circuit. Buyers can take advantage of an eclectic mix of furniture and decorative objects at Christie’s upcoming “Interiors” sale in South Kensington on August 13.
For those looking to polish their pool skills, a Charles X burr-walnut and marquetry billards table, circa 1830 and signed “Poullain,” together with a French brass billiard light (19th century), and a 20th-century French simulated bamboo corner bench, comes with an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000. Another surefire conversation starter is a mid 20th-century Dunhill“aquarium” lighter with Lucite panels decorated with fish in a seascape (est. £1,000–1,500). A Russian porcelain “Easter Egg,” circa 1870 and likely by the Imperial porcelain factory, according to Christie’s, is estimated at £1,200 to £1,800.
Among the fine art on offer, a tranquil river scene “Notre Dame de nuit,” by American artist Thomas Buford Meteyard is estimated at £1,500 to £2,500, while French artist Suzanne Eisendieck’s summery portrait painting, “A Mother and Her Children By the River,” is expected to sell for £2,000 to £3,000.