Bonhams Jean Cocteau Ceramics Auction Totals $786,600

A work by Jean Cocteau was the headline sale at Bonhams 'An Important Collection of Ceramics by Jean Cocteau' auction on June 23-23 in London.

• The sale totaled $786,600 (GBP595,500), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 135 works sold totaling $786,600.
• Estimates totaled: $361,900 (low) and $539,700 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 97% of the original 139 lots announced.

The star lot was: Jean Cocteau, Le Satiricon (1960), which sold for $59,200, 119% above its $26,900 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 1156% above its low estimate. Jean Cocteau, Faun and nymphs at play (1956), sold for $3,382 ($269 low estimate).

• 93 works, or 69%, sold above their high estimate.
• 34 works, or 25%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 8 works, or 6%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

4 works were bought-in, including: Jean Cocteau, Frederic ou Ibsen et le Canard Sauvage (1962), estimated at $4,038 (low) to $6,730 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.