An ivory model of the Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad, circa 1835, is one among many valuable items to be auctioned in September at the international auction house Christie's.
The intricately crafted model is included in the sale of Professor Sir Albert Richardson, who was a celebrated collector and an architect. It is part of his personal collection, which will be auctioned Sep 18 and Sep 19.
Richardson had purchased this model in 1949 for fifty pounds. At the auction, it is estimated to fetch 30,000 to 50,000 pounds($46,500-$77,500).
Around 650 items will be on sale.
"It includes old Master and British paintings, British water colours and architectural drawings, English and European furniture, sculpture and objects, garden statuary, books, clocks, musical instruments and Georgian costume," said a statement released here Thursday.
According to the official release, Hazarduri means "the one with a thousand doors", although 900 of the 1,000 doors of the palace are actually false. It was built by Colonel Duncan Macleod of the Bengal Corps of Engineers during the reign of Mubarak Ali Khan, better known as Hamayun Jah.
