Take sneak peek at Michelangelo nude

Rarely seen masterpieces by artists - from Michelangelo to Mueck - were put on display at Christie's auction house in London on Monday in a brief public show before they are sold off.

RARELY seen masterpieces by artists - from Michelangelo to Mueck - were put on display at Christie's auction house in London on Monday in a brief public show before they are sold off.

For just three days, art lovers get to view a selection of some of the paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and furniture that will be sold this European summer for an estimated total of more than £250-million (R2.7-billion).

Among the treasures is a male nude study, one of 24 made for Michelangelo's The Battle of Cascina, which has only been seen in public once before. It is expected to fetch £3-million to £5-million at the Old Masters sale on July 5.

Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, A Stable-Lad, and a Jockey, by George Stubbs, will also be sold that day for an estimated £20-million, and was another of about 100 works being shown until today at Christie's.

"It's not a sale viewing. It's very much an exhibition aimed at the collective public. This show is about contrasts, but it's also about quality," said Jussi Pylkkanen, chairman of Christie's Europe, Middle East, Russia and India.

Jeune fille endormie, a painting by Pablo Picasso, is expected to fetch from £9-million to £12-million.

A painting by Thomas Gainsborough, Portrait of Miss Read, later Mrs William Villebois, is expected to set a new record price for the artist with its estimate of £4- million to £6-million.

It was not just old masters that were on show - Big Baby, a sculpture by Ron Mueck from 1996, is being offered on auction for £800 000 to £1.2-million.