The Master, Judd Tully,  did a little Francis Bacon research before tonight’s sale at Christie’s:

• “Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne” from 1983 sold for £1.7 million ($2.7 million) (est. £1.8-2.5 million). It last sold at auction for £1.8 million at Sotheby’s London in October 2007

• “Untitled,” showing the word “FOOL,” by the U.S. artist Christopher Wool, who is consistently in demand at contemporary-art fairs. Again fresh to the auction market, this was sold to a record telephone bid of 4.9 million pounds handled by Pedro Girao, chairman of Christie’s European advisory board. Girao, using the same paddle number, was also the buyer of the 1975 Gilbert & George photo piece “Bloody Life No. 13,” for 1.3 million pounds, just exceeding the high estimate.

A Sizzling Francis Bacon Helps Christie’s Cook Up $126 Million at its London Contemporary Sale (ArtInfo)

Bacon’s Nude Model Sprawled on Bed Tops $126.5 Million Christie’s Auction (Bloomberg)