Antoine Caron Leads Christie's $6.89m 'Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings' Auction in New York

A work by Antoine Caron was the headline sale at Christie's 'Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings' auction on May 21 in New York.

• The sale totaled $6.89m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 91 works sold totaling $6.89m.
• Estimates totaled: $8.56m (low) and $12.84m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 66% of the original 137 lots announced.

The star lot was: Antoine Caron, Le Triomphe de l'Hiver (The Triumph of Winter) (Undated), which sold for $655,200, 118% above its $300,000 low estimate. It has been traded 10 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 756% above its low estimate. Artemisia Gentileschi, Galatea - a fragment (Undated), sold for $428,400 ($50,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 26 works, or 29%, sold above their high estimate.
• 27 works, or 30%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 38 works, or 42%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

45 works were bought-in, including: Gustave Courbet, La forêt en hiver (1872), estimated at $500,000 (low) to $700,000 (high). It has been traded 5 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Un coin de verger (Auvergne) (1850) estimated at $30,000 (low) to $50,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.