Govaert Flinck Leads Bonhams $612,600 'Old Master Paintings' Auction

A work by Govaert Flinck was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Old Master Paintings' auction on April 30.

• The sale totaled $612,600 (GBP457,200), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 86 works sold totaling $612,600.
• Estimates totaled: $621,100 (low) and $939,600 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 51% of the original 168 lots announced.

The star lot was: Govaert Flinck, Reclining female nude (Undated), which sold for $48,000, 805% above its $5,306 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 805% above its low estimate. Govaert Flinck, Reclining female nude (Undated), sold for $48,000 ($5,306 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 33 works, or 38%, sold above their high estimate.
• 37 works, or 43%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 16 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

81 works were bought-in, including: Attributed to Pietro Longhi, The Finding of Moses (Undated), estimated at $15,900 (low) to $23,900 (high). It has been traded once in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Julius Caesar Ibbetson, An extensive river landscape with a milkmaid and cattle in the foreground (1805) estimated at $2,653 (low) to $3,980 (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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.