A bit of Chandigarh in New York

AUCTION: Christie's memorabilia sale of furniture by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret debuts next month at the Rockefeller Center.

The art auction market may have softened a little bit in the recent past "" even though both Christie's and Bonham's are claiming record high prices for some artists at their sales this week "" but it hasn't stopped the interest in Indian art from stretching out to include some very unusual collectibles.

Coming up on June 5 is an auction, at Christie's Rockefeller Center in New York, of "furniture and objects sourced from the city of Chandigarh".

Not quite a house sale, the 112 lots "" not all of them from Chandigarh "" include works by architect and designer Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, both of whom were involved with the building of the new capital of the state of Chandigarh in the 1950s. The collection that will be auctioned by Christie's comes from government offices and private residences in the state capital.

What is interesting is the way some of these objects have made it to the auction. While the provenance of some is private, and comes from the staff of those employed by Corbusier and Jeanneret, public fixtures and furniture from public buildings is more interesting.

While some of it may have been moved out as a natural process of tendering for newer replacements in government offices or organisations, questions might still be raised on how furniture that has a value attached to it in terms of their designers, was allowed to move out of the city at all.

The results of the auction will, no doubt, be closely watched in India where there is limited furniture that has been designed by well known architects, designers or even furniture manufacturers.

Prime among those whose work is part of official India is that designed by Edward Lutyens and Charles Baker in the official residence of the President of India. For most part, offices and residences have been furnished by copies of catalogue designs by local carpenters.

A number of the palaces, however, had ordered furnishings from the Continent, though often these never made it to India as ships and factories in the first four decades of the 20th century were bombed, and following independence, such orders ceased altogether.

Still, the interest or otherwise, says an observer, could be an important pointer to growing interest in other than just art from India, and if the bids are successful, could also create a fresh market opportunity within India.

On auction at Christie's are chairs, benches, sofas, stools and armchairs made from sycamore, oak, ash, rosewood, bamboo, teak and leather. There are tables "" centre, library, conference "" and desks, bookcases and screens, storage units and consoles, cabinets and daybeds, and Corbusier's wardrobes-cum-room dividers.

The architect had also designed wall lights using steel, chrome, brass and aluminium. Reserve prices appear not to be too steep, with most under $30,000, and only a few objects carrying a base price over $100,000.