MC Escher Leads Bonhams $84,300 'Prints & Multiples' Auction in London

A work by MC Escher was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Prints & Multiples' auction on December 10 in London.

• The sale totaled $84,300 (GBP66,200), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 13 works sold totaling $84,300.
• Estimates totaled: $1.51m (low) and $2.19m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 14% of the original 91 lots announced.

The star lot was: MC Escher, Three Worlds (Drei Welten) (1955), which sold for $15,500, 2% above its $15,200 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 157% above its low estimate. Rembrandt, The Death of the Virgin (1639), sold for $6,524 ($2,531 low estimate).

• 6 works, or 46%, sold above their high estimate.
• 7 works, or 54%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 0 works, or 0%, 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: Sybil Andrews Cpe, Speedway (1934), estimated at $50,600 (low) to $75,900 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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