Auction Watch: Christie's Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds October, 2010

Article at FT.com: (The Financial Times of London):

Sale of the week: Islamic and Indian art
By Simon de Burton
Published: October 1 2010 23:37 | Last updated: October 1 2010 23:37
Sale: Islamic and Indian Art
Location: Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1. tel: +44 (0) 20 7839 9060
Date: Tuesday (October 5). On view Sunday 2pm-5pm; Monday 9am-4.30pm

Christie's online catalog for the sale.

Ohmygoddess!  Incredibly beautiful and rare art and artifacts.  Wish I was a billionaire.  Damn, I should have married so and so back in 1972...  Oh well. 

A few gameboards, etc. are up for auction.

A very beautiful intricately inlaid folding chessboard/case.  Here is the info from Christie's website along with a small photo:

Lot 162/Sale 7871
Estimate (Set Currency) £40,000 - £60,000
($62,920 - $94,380)

Lot Description
A SPANISH IVORY-REVETTED MICRO-MOSAIC GAMING BOARD
SPAIN, SECOND HALF 15TH CENTURY
Formed as a rectangular box hinged in the centre, the exterior worked as a chessboard with alternating squares of plain ivory and micro-mosaic star-form panels, the edges decorated with alternating panels of chequered ivory and mosaic star lozenges, each end with one floral bouquet facing the player, the interior with a recessed backgammon board with geometrically-decoated darts on an ivory ground, the centre with floral sprays within stepped cartouches in rectangular frames with mirco-mosaic spandrels, the outer edges with ivory plaques pierced with holes alternated with square panels with mosaic stars, splits to ivory, some losses to inlay
Open 19in. (49.2cm.) square; closed 19 x 9½in. (48.2 x 24.1cm.)

Lot 163/Sale 7871
Estimate (Set Currency) £20,000 - £25,000
($31,460 - $39,325)

Another incredibly beautiful chess/backgammon board (this image shows a peek atg the backgammon board on the inside of the box):

Lot Description
A NASRID IVORY AND EBONY INLAID GAMING BOARD
SPAIN, 15TH CENTURY
Formed as a box hinged in the centre, the exterior worked as a chessboard with alternating ivory and ebony squares, triangles of geometric mosaic motifs around the sides, two further lines with finer mosaic triangles inlaid with silver wire along the short sides, opening to reveal a backgammon board with alternating white and brown wood triangles along each side, the centre of each face with a lozenge of mosaic work and clusters of four stars at each point, modern hinges, small areas of restoration
18¼ x 21¼in. (46.5 x 54cm.)