Christie's Dessins Anciens et du XIXe siècle Auction Totals $1.49m
3 min read · 26 Mar 2026
Venus Showing the Apple of Her Triumph to the Gods of Olympus by Francois Boucher sold for $147,200. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Francois Boucher was the headline sale at Christie's 'Dessins Anciens et du XIXe siècle incluant une sélection de terres cuites' auction on March 25 in Paris.
- The sale totaled $1.49m (EUR1.29m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 88 works sold totaling $1.49m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.37m (low) and $2.01m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 65% of the original 135 lots announced.
The star lot was: Francois Boucher, Venus Showing the Apple of Her Triumph to the Gods of Olympus (Undated), which sold for $147,200, 6% above its $138,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
Ceiling design: God on a chariot drawn by two horses by Attributed to Antonio Campi sold for $19,100 (1009% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 1009% above its low estimate. Attributed to Antonio Campi, Ceiling design: God on a chariot drawn by two horses (Undated), sold for $19,100 ($1,724 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.
- 49 works, or 56%, sold above their high estimate.
- 27 works, or 31%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 12 works, or 14%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
44 works were bought-in, including: Honore Daumier, The Imaginary Invalid (Undated), estimated at $69,000 (low) to $92,000 (high). It has been traded once in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Venetian 16Th Century, Head of Saint Peter (recto); Sketch of a Head (verso) (Undated), estimated at $13,800 (low) to $20,700 (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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
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