The London auction house will put the works up in the sale of 20th Century British Art including the Peter Meyer Collection on Friday, June 6.

The overall sale will feature 183 lots, with estimates ranging from £1,000 to £1 million, and is expected to realise a total of more than £12.5 million.

Leading the four works is Bolton Wanderers fan Lowry's painting Manchester City vs Sheffield United, 1938. The work is estimated to realise between £700,000 and £1 million.

Also set to reach between £700,000 and £1 million is An Old Church, 1943. It is described as a recently-discovered work by Lowry which has not been seen in public since the 1940s when it was bought by the present owner from the artist's London agents.

Lowry's A Cricket Match, 1952, estimated at £600,000 to £800,000 has not been seen in public for over a decade.

And The Sea, 1944, set to fetch £180,000 to £250,000 is also fresh to the market, having been bought in the 1940s and then passed by descent to the present owner.

Rachel Hidderley, Christie's director and co-head of 20th Century British Art said: "Manchester City vs Sheffield United is from a small and important group of paintings in which Lowry records an actual event rather than a composite image of different locations or impressions.

"The date of the work, combined with the title, suggests that the match depicted is Manchester City's 3:2 home win against Sheffield United on October 22 1938.

"Lowry was a keen football supporter, his team was Bolton Wanderers, and in the present work he concentrates on the home crowd rather than the team members, using the occasion of the match to concentrate on depicting the personalities of the individuals attending."



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