Collectors will have a rare chance to bid on a walnut bench designed by Antoni Gaudi for the church at Colonia Guell, near Barcelona.

It's valued at £80,000-120,000 ($98,000-147,000) ahead of Christie's Historical Design sale in London on October 26.

A total of 25 benches were built for the church at Colonia Guell

Gaudi was commissioned to design the church as a centrepiece for a worker's commune by his longstanding patron Count Eusebio Guell i Bacigalupi.

The project began in 1908, but was abandoned in 1914 due to a lack of funds.

Only the crypt of the church was completed.

The lot is one of 25 such benches Gaudi designed for the crypt and it displays his characteristic emphasis on natural forms.

They were constructed by carpenter Tomas Bernat.

Only 20 have survived, with 17 kept in permanent museum collections (15 in Barcelona). This leaves just three in private hands.

The benches can be subdivided into two groups: the original 20 constructed from recycled shipping crates and the five (including the present lot) made from whatever woods were left over after the church was built.

Another from this latter group sold for $200,000 at Sotheby's last year.

Very few pieces of furniture designed by Gaudi have been offered at auction, making this a major draw for design enthusiasts.

Other highlights of the auction include important works by Demetre Chiparus and Rene Lalique.

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