LONDON.- An Athlete struggling with a Python, an important and striking bronze statue by Frederic, Lord Leighton, is one of the leading pieces to be offered in Bonhams inaugural Important Design Sale in London on Wednesday 5 April. It is estimated at £50,000-80,000.

This very rare piece by the pioneer of the late 19th century British sculpture movement known as New Sculpture, is a bronze reduction of the full scale work dated 1877 and now in Tate Britain in London. It was considered at the time to mark a renaissance in British sculpture.

Smaller versions of well-known sculptures were often commissioned by wealthy patrons as status symbols but, in the words of the Head of Bonhams Works of Art and Sculpture, Michael Lake, “This is an extremely rare reduction. In all my years of looking at Leighton’s works I have never seen another.”

The sculpture was acquired at a Country House auction in 1934 for fifty-seven shillings and 17 pence (just under £3 in today’s currency) and has been in the possession of a family in Cheshire ever since.

Important Design is curated by Bonhams UK Head of Decorative Arts, Mark Wilkinson, who explained the thinking behind the new concept. “Important Design brings together in one sale more than 500 years of excellence in furniture and the decorative arts. Modern collectors and interior designers want to mix styles, makers and periods. By offering a carefully curated selection of objects, we aim to satisfy this growing demand, and to attract buyers who may not necessarily be collectors of a specific genre but are interested in purchasing a unique piece.”

The sale places a pair of Italian carved giltwood portego sofas (£40,000-60,000) alongside a stunning, larger-than-life Anglo-Italian mid-19th century statue of Diana the Huntress (£30,000-50,000); a beautiful and delicate porcelain bowl (£20,000-30,000) by one of the masters of 20th century studio pottery, Lucie Rie, against a pair of George III wine coolers (£40,000-60,000) made by Paul Storr, the foremost silversmith of his era; and an important late 17th century Flemish Biblical tapestry (£15,000-20,000) with a pair of Baccarat candelabra (£15,000-25,000).

Other pieces in the sale include:

• The Starfish Dancer, one of the most iconic works by the renowned Art Deco master sculptor, Demetre Chiparus. It is estimated at £100,000-150,000.

• A London gold Freedom Box (£30,000-50,000) presented to the Italian general and politician Giuseppe Garibaldi when he was awarded the Freedom of the City during his triumphant visit to London in 1864. Garibaldi was a key figure in the Risorgimento, the unification movement which created the modern Italian state, and was regarded throughout Europe as a hero. Despite his reputation as a radical, he was admired by all sections of British society, including members of the royal family.

• A rare mid-19th century Italian oval micro-mosaic floral still life panel from the Vatican Workshops, (£30,000-50,000)

The sale will take place at Bonhams, New Bond Street on Wednesday 5 April.