Arthur Hacker Leads Bonhams $337,000 'British and European Art' Auction

A work by Arthur Hacker was the headline sale at Bonhams 'British and European Art' auction on June 19.

• The sale totaled $337,000 (GBP251,400), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 94 works sold totaling $337,000.
• Estimates totaled: $369,300 (low) and $558,100 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 61% of the original 153 lots announced.

The star lot was: Arthur Hacker, Portrait of Mrs Ramsay (1917), which sold for $13,700, 152% above its $5,427 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 564% above its low estimate. William Strang, Portrait of a lady in blue (1913), sold for $7,208 ($1,085 low estimate).

• 40 works, or 43%, sold above their high estimate.
• 45 works, or 48%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 9 works, or 10%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

58 works were bought-in, including: Wilhelm Kuhnert, Two lions at watch (Undated), estimated at $27,100 (low) to $40,700 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Attributed to Jean Baptiste Guillermin, Femme lisant (Undated) estimated at $678 (low) to $950 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.