Albrecht Durer Leads Christie's $3.56m 'Old Master Prints' Auction in London

A work by Albrecht Durer was the headline sale at Christie's 'Old Master Prints' auction on July 2 in London.

• The sale totaled $3.56m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 119 works sold totaling $3.56m.
• Estimates totaled: $2.36m (low) and $3.51m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 89% of the original 134 lots announced.

The star lot was: Albrecht Durer, Saint Eustace (1501), which sold for $318,400, its estimated price. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 500% above its low estimate. Master of the Die, Apollo and Marsyas (Undated), sold for $4,139 ($635 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 55 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
• 38 works, or 32%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 26 works, or 22%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

15 works were bought-in, including: Jacques Bellange, Christ carrying the Cross (1612), estimated at $38,100 (low) to $63,500 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.