Christie's Old Master Prints Auction Totals $5.96m
3 min read · 08 Jul 2026
Adam and Eve by Albrecht Durer sold for $474,500. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Albrecht Durer was the headline sale at Christie's 'Old Master Prints' auction on July 7 in London.
- The sale totaled $5.96m (GBP4.47m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 163 works sold totaling $5.96m.
- Estimates totaled: $4m (low) and $6.07m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 88% of the original 186 lots announced.
The star lot was: Albrecht Durer, Adam and Eve (1504), which sold for $474,500, 18% above its $400,300 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
The Anatomical Theatre of the University of Leiden by Willem van Swanenburgh sold for $30,500 (1424% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 1424% above its low estimate. Willem van Swanenburgh, The Anatomical Theatre of the University of Leiden (1610), sold for $30,500 ($2,001 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
- 85 works, or 52%, sold above their high estimate.
- 48 works, or 29%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 30 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
22 works were bought-in, including: Hans Burgkmair, Emperor Maximilian I on Horseback (1518), estimated at $40,000 (low) to $66,700 (high). It has not been traded before.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Goya, De que mal morira? (Of what ill will he die?), Plate 40 from: Los Caprichos (1797), estimated at $4,003 (low) to $6,671 (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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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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