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

3 min read  ·  03 Jul 2024

Saint Eustace by Albrecht Durer sold for $318,400.
Image courtesy of Christie's

Saint Eustace by Albrecht Durer sold for $318,400. Image courtesy of Christie's

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.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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