Auction house expects bids of up to £18,000 for striking study of parrot and insect in fruit tree

 

There has been one bid (of £9,000) so far for this study of an unspecified parrot and insect in a fruit tree by an unknown  17th Century Florentine artist. However, the pre-sale estimate of Christie's is that the hammer will fall at somewhere between  £12,000 and £18,000. The full picture comes in an ornate  giltwood frame (added later) plus another insect and ornamental flowers. The fact that the peaches (?) are ripe suggests this is a later-summer scene, but the flowers look more like those associated with spring. The online auction closes on October 28.