James Ivory to auction away Merchant's riches

When Indian born British movie producer Ismail Merchant died in May 2005, he left behind a treasure trove of objects stored in various cities like Mumbai [ Images ], New York, London [ Images ] and Paris.

The producer whose 40-year plus partnership with director James Ivory resulted in legendary films like The Remains of The Day, Heat and Dust and A Room With A View, was a keen collector and over the years he accumulated a substantial hoard of decorative arts, mostly influenced by his Indian heritage, reports Time Online.

These objects include ceramics, shawls, silver, furniture, and oddities such as an 18th-century tent panel embroidered with peacocks. Some of them were from Chor Bazaar in Mumbai while others were from different places like London and Russia [ Images ].

So what will become of these objects? That is where Ivory comes in. The 80-year-old has decided to put the objects on sale at Christie's in London on October 7, Times Online reported.

'One only has a certain amount of room," the report cited Ivory as saying. 'There was quite an accumulation of stuff. At first I didn't know what I would do with it -- I was obliged to sell his apartments because they were part of his estate. Where would one put all this?'

The Merchant Collection will be on display from October 3.

Image: James Ivory and Ismail Merchant pose in this 2003 picture. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters