Corporate - Christie's Auction House

Telephone bidding at sale of furniture, South Kensington.

Auctioneer handling bidding on a set of ski posters, South Kensington.

Telephone bidding during a sale of paintings, South Kensington

A bidder on his phone before a sale of football shirts worn by famous football players, South Kensington.

A seller folds her receipt after passing over her teddy bear to Christies experts for a forthcoming teddy sale, South Kensington. It sold for £299.

Christie’s expert Francis Wahlgren checks watermarks to authenticate an original 16th century Hamlet manuscript, King Street. It failed to reach its reserve.

Tim Hunter, Director, Old Master Pictures, with Canaletto's "View of Mole, Venice", being prepared for auction. The painting had a £5 million reserve.

Re-organising one of Christie's King Street auction rooms after a furniture sale, in preparation for a sale of carpets.

Children of visitors to champagne brunch at car sale play inside a 1964 Ferrari. The car later sold for £192,250.

All items for sale are photographed for inclusion in a catalogue. This teddy, a Seiff centre-seam bear circa 1909, sold for £3,824

Staff in the toy department discuss a teddy for a forthcoming sale. The Puss in Boots later sold for £4,780

A party at King Street with the theme 'Twisted or Traditional'. A model lies in a bath covered by black feathers while guests look at jewellery.

A party at King Street with the theme 'Twisted or Traditional". Catering staff all wore red lipstick.

Restorer John Carr puts finishing touches to furniture that needs minor attention. This George III mahogany bowfront sideboard later sold for £ 5,377.

Christie’s art expert Alex Hope examines a painting by Hubert Robert. The painting later sold for £ 59,750

Staff carry chairs from a set of fourteen rosewood-grained and parcel-gilt caned open armchairs out of King Street after furniture sale. The chairs sold for £10,755.

Viewing paintings at Islamic Art sale.

Christie’s expert William Robinson examines a carpet’s weave prior to a carpet sale at King Street.

Mid-17th century transitional blue and white items recovered from a ship-wreck and now part of a house sale at Axel Vervoordt's moated castle near Antwerp.

A collector listens for creaking hip joints while examining a teddy. This bear did not sell.

A collector examines a beam for wear on its paws.

A bear on the auctioneer’s rostrum sold for £143

Wrapping up her bear, bought for £143 after a successful bid at the teddy bear sale.

Sunday Brunch viewing for Post-War and Contemporary beside Art Andy Warhol’s canvass “Dollar Sign”. The painting later sold for £386,050.

Viewers at the champagne Sunday Brunch viewing in front of Jenny Saville’s “Knead”, a painting of a patient after undergoing plastic surgery. It later sold for £206,850.

A viewer consults her catalogue beside the Francis Bacon’s ‘Three Sudies of Isabel Rawsthorne”. The work exceeded it’s estimate and sold for £2,357,250.

Christie’s modern art experts with Wassily Kandinsky’s ‘Dunaberg’ which sold for £3,029,250. On the wall, Matisse’s “Odalisque au fauteuil noir” sold for £6,613,250.

Jussi Pylkkanen, (right) Christie’s auctioneer for the Modern Art sale, with Ed Dolman, Christie's CEO. “La reconnaissance infinite” by Rene Magrite later sold for £677,250.

Telephone bidders during the Impressionist and Modern Art Sale. Overall the sale made £28,957,950.

Jussi Pylkkanen, auctioneer for the Impressionist and Modern Art sale, during bidding for Henri Matisse’s “Odalisque au fauteuil noir” which sold for £6,613,250.

Trading in London since its foundation by James Christie in 1766, Christie’s, still a private company, is now the biggest auction house in the world. With auction rooms in 13 countries, it has an annual turnover of over US $6 billion (2013). While the bulk of the company’s income is derived from art, Christie’s also auction furniture, jewelry, manuscripts, houses and collectables – from 20th century posters to teddy bears.

This set includes Christie’s two London auction rooms, from the assessment of items that the public bring for possible inclusion in an auction, the warehouses where Christie’s experts examine and catalogue items for their next sale, and the preparation and hanging in the sale rooms, to the pre-sale parties.