May 30 (Bloomberg) -- A pill cabinet by Damien Hirst, Britain's wealthiest artist, has a top estimate of 4 million pounds ($7.9 million) for a sale next month, as Sotheby's tries to wrest Hirst's auction record from Christie's International.

``Lullaby Spring,'' one of four cabinets of pills Hirst made in 2002, is being sold in London on June 21 by a U.S. collector who bought it from a gallery, said Oliver Barker, a Sotheby's specialist. On May 16, Christie's sold another cabinet, ``Lullaby Winter,'' in New York for $7.4 million.

``Anything of real quality is highly competitive,'' Barker said in a telephone interview. ``Buyers know that, and often they put us in competition.'' To help win the consignment from Christie's, Sotheby's promised the seller an undisclosed minimum price, he said.

Saleroom prices for works by Hirst, 41, are an indicator of demand and a boost for the two biggest auction houses. Even so, his most valuable creations have been sold privately. London's White Cube gallery unveils the British artist's 50 million-pound diamond-studded skull this week. In 2005, hedge-fund manager Steven Cohen paid $8 million for the artist's pickled shark.

Hirst's pill cabinets, named after the seasons, are made of stainless steel and glass and filled with hand-crafted, painted pills. Two remain in private hands, Barker said.

Doig Duel

``Lullaby Spring'' has a chance of beating Peter Doig's ``White Canoe,'' which fetched 5.7 million pounds in February, including commission, making the relatively unknown Doig Europe's most expensive living artist, Barker said.

``The record prices for Damien are all for his sculptural works,'' he said. The price Christie's got for ``Lullaby Winter'' made the owner of ``Lullaby Spring'' more willing to sell, according to Barker.

``Lullaby Winter'' cost about $1.1 million in 2002, Christie's specialist Amy Cappellazzo said.

Hirst is a boon for dealers and auction houses. About 80 artists and support staff at his studios help turn out new works, often on the themes of death and disease, for his shows. His art factory system resembles that of Andy Warhol, who died in 1987.

Hirst has amassed a fortune of 130 million pounds from his art, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. His business manager, Frank Dunphy, said he's the biggest dollar earner of any artist living or dead in the U.K.

Auction sales for Hirst rose 84 percent last year to about $16.9 million, according to data service Artprice.com.

To contact the reporter on this story: Linda Sandler in London at lsandler@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 30, 2007 03:00 EDT