LONDON.- Outstanding works from The Collection of The Hon. Patrick and Lady Amabel Lindsay will be presented across a series of six specialist sales at Christie's between June and October. Five Old Master paintings and two Italian illuminations will be offered on 30 June, 1 and 8 July respectively during Classic Week London this summer, while a major Rodin bronze and Modern British works will be offered in the autumn as part of the 20/21 October sales season. These all had key places in the Lindsays' house at 12 Lansdowne Road, leaving an indelible impression on their many visitors.

Orlando Rock, Chairman Christie's UK, commented: “Patrick and Amabel Lindsay were towering figures in Christie's recent history. A brilliant Old Master paintings expert who led the firm with flamboyance and a hunger for speed - from racing cars to arriving at valuations in an aeroplane - Patrick's enduring influence on Christie's and the Old Master paintings market was legendary, and Amabel's eye for beauty was equally inspired, in many ways pre-empting the 'country house' look later adopted by others. The most celebrated art works from their private world, these important paintings, sculptures and illuminations, reflect two remarkable lives, imbued with curiosity, flair, elegance and an unwavering commitment to the arts. We look forward to welcoming everyone to enjoy the six pre-sale exhibitions and auctions between June and October.”

Laura, Ludovic, James and Valentine Lindsay: “Individually and collectively, the works of art coming up at Christie's represent the best of the best from across our parents' collection and the house that was home to us all. Each picture, sculpture and illumination has a rich history and is an integral part of the visual tapestry of our lives. The unique connection and shared history between our family and Christie's makes it fitting that these highlights will be offered for sale at their headquarters. It is now time for these works to bring the same joy and inspiration to others.”

The Hon. Patrick and Lady Amabel Lindsay

The Hon. Patrick Lindsay (1928-86), second son of the 28th Earl of Crawford and 11th Earl of Balcarres. He grew up surrounded by works of art. Having spent time with his father's friend Bernard Berenson in Florence, he joined Christie's in 1955, and directed the pictures department from 1960 until his untimely death in 1986. He was an outstanding auctioneer, conducting the sale of Velázquez's Portrait of Juan de Pareja in 1970, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, selling for £2,310,000, and Andrea Mantegna's Adoration of the Magi, which was purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1985 for £8,100,000, the then record for a painting at auction. He made a very significant contribution to the post-war evolution of Christie's. No one who knew him will forget his instinctive response to great works of art, the conviction with which this was expressed, or the flair with which he pursued the interests that mattered to him. In 1955 he married Lady Amabel Yorke (1935-2025), eldest daughter of the 9th Earl of Hardwicke, who brought her characteristic flair and inherent creativity to their house with the imaginative skill she would later utilise as an interior decorator. She was descended from the celebrated botanist John Lindley, still remembered for his contribution to both the Royal Horticultural society and Kew, inheriting his interest in gardens, herself running the National Gardens Scheme in London. Lady Amabel was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art where she was an active supporter of students, and was also a board member of the Museum of London.

Classic Week – 30 June to 8 July

Three pictures will be offered in the Old Masters Evening Sale, on 30 June, each representing a different strata of the collection. Mehmed II and the Patriarch Gennadius outside the Walls of Constantinople by Girolamo da Santacroce, was acquired by Alexander, Lord Lindsay, later 25th Earl of Crawford, whose outstanding collection of early Italian pictures reflected his interest in the history of Christian art (estimate: £100,000-150,000). Melchior d' Hondecoeter's impressive A peacock on a branch… is from the notable collection assembled for his London house by the financier Lewis Loyd, Lord Overstone, which his daughter bequeathed to her great-nephew by marriage, David, 27th Earl of Crawford, Patrick's grandfather (estimate: £200,000-300,000). An intriguing 17th-century Dutch Vanitas, was purchased by Patrick Lindsay himself (estimate: £80,000-120,000). Two further notable pictures by Philips Wouwerman and Aert van der Neer, both from the Overstone collection, will be offered in Old Masters to Modern Day: Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture on 1 July. The two exceptional Italian illuminations dating from the 1370s and 1405 respectively which will be offered in the Valuable Books and Manuscripts including Cartography sale on 8 July, were acquired by Patrick Lindsay's father David, 28th Earl of Crawford, an outstanding connoisseur who among other contributions to public life was Chairman of the National Gallery, the National Trust and the National Art-Collections Fund.

Looking ahead to the autumn

Four superb works from the Collection will be offered in the autumn, led by Auguste Rodin's Eve au Rocher which will be a highlight in the 20/21 Evening Sale (estimate: £1,000,000-1,500,000). Further significant sculpture will be offered in the Impressionist Day Sale, followed by two distinguished paintings in the Modern British and Irish Evening Sale, all detailed below.

The Collection

Old Masters Evening Sale – 30 June
GIROLAMO DA SANTACROCE (c. 1480/85 - after 1556)
Mehmed II and the Patriarch Gennadius outside the Walls of Constantinople
Estimate: £100,000-150,000

Valuable Books and Manuscripts Sale – 8 July
DON SILVESTRO DEI GHERARDUCCI (1339-1399)
Saints Peter and Paul, historiated initial 'N' from an illuminated choir book on vellum, Florence, Santa Maria degli Angeli, 1371-1374
Estimate: £150,000-200,000

Valuable Books and Manuscripts Sale – 8 July
MASTER OF THE CODICE SQUARCIALUPI (MATTEO TORELLI)
Isaiah prophesying the coming of Christ, historiated initial 'A', Florence, circa 1405
Estimate: £20,000-30,000

Old Masters to Modern Day Sale – 1 July
PHILIPS WOUWERMAN (1619-1668)
A cavalry skirmish
Estimate: £50,000-80,000

Old Masters Evening Sale – 30 June
DUTCH SCHOOL, 17TH CENTURY
Two skulls with a quill and paper on a marble ledge
Estimate: £80,000-120,000

Old Masters to Modern Day Sale – 1 July
AERT VAN DER NEER (1603-1677)
A wooded river landscape with woodcutters, fishermen pulling in their nets beyond
Estimate: £15,000-25,000

Modern British and Irish Evening Sale – October
AUGUSTUS JOHN
On the Way Down to the Sea
Estimate: £100,000-150,000

Impressionist and Modern Day Sale – October
EDGAR DEGAS
Cheval au Trot
Estimate: £150,000-250,000

Modern British and Irish Evening Sale – October
WALTER RICHARD SICKERT
The Horses of St Mark’s Venice
Estimate: £80,000-120,000