Bonhams The John Laws CBE Collection Auction Totals $1.46m

A work by Joel Elenberg was the headline sale at Bonhams 'The John Laws CBE Collection' auction on June 2 in Sydney.

• The sale totaled $1.46m (AUD2.03m), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 110 works sold totaling $1.46m.
• Estimates totaled: $690,700 (low) and $1.05m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Joel Elenberg, Anna I (1978), which sold for $335,800, 55% above its $215,500 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 5640% above its low estimate. After the Antique, Torso of a Crouching Venus (Undated), sold for $123,700 ($2,155 low estimate). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

• 66 works, or 60%, sold above their high estimate.
• 24 works, or 22%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 20 works, or 18%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

0 works were bought-in.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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