Antwerp school Leads Christie's $4.43m 'Old Masters Part II: Paintings, Sculpture, Drawings and Watercolours' Auction in London
3 min read · 04 Jul 2024
The Adoration of the Magi by Antwerp school sold for $335,700. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Antwerp school was the headline sale at Christie's 'Old Masters Part II: Paintings, Sculpture, Drawings and Watercolours' auction on July 3 in London.
- The sale totaled $4.43m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 132 works sold totaling $4.43m.
- Estimates totaled: $3.54m (low) and $5.26m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 76% of the original 173 lots announced.
The star lot was: Antwerp school, The Adoration of the Magi (Undated), which sold for $335,700, 2500% above its $12,700 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
The outperformer sold for 2500% above its low estimate. Antwerp school, The Adoration of the Magi (Undated), sold for $335,700 ($12,700 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 61 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
- 46 works, or 35%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 25 works, or 19%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
38 works were bought-in, including: Tommaso di Credi, called Tommaso, The Lamentation (Undated), estimated at $101,800 (low) to $152,600 (high). It has been traded 3 times in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Circle of Paolo Veneziano, The Crucifixion with the Madonna, Saint John the Evangelist and two angels (Undated) estimated at $19,100 (low) to $31,800 (high).
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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.