Eugene Boudin Leads Bonhams Skinner $314,300 'European Art' Auction

A work by Eugene Boudin was the headline sale at Bonhams Skinner 'European Art' auction on November 14.

• The sale totaled $314,300, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 58 works sold totaling $314,300.
• Estimates totaled: $461,400 (low) and $675,000 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 62% of the original 93 lots announced.

The star lot was: Eugene Boudin, Le Quai à Saint-Valery-Sur-Somme (1891), which sold for $38,400, 23% below its $50,000 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1660% above its low estimate. Italian School 19th century, Madonna Eleusa (Undated), sold for $14,100 ($800 low estimate).

• 22 works, or 38%, sold above their high estimate.
• 16 works, or 28%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 20 works, or 34%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

33 works were bought-in, including: Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, Saint John the Baptist Revealing Christ to Peter and Andrew (Undated), estimated at $30,000 (low) to $50,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Ludwig Hermann, A City on the Scheldt (1854) estimated at $3,000 (low) to $5,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.