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Fahrelnissa Zeid Leads Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr $548,900 'Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art' Auction in Paris

3 min read  ·  27 Sep 2024

Sunrise, Ischia by Fahr-El-nissa Zeid sold for $170,600.
Image courtesy of Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr

Sunrise, Ischia by Fahr-El-nissa Zeid sold for $170,600. Image courtesy of Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr

A work by Fahr-El-nissa Zeid was the headline sale at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr 'Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art' auction on September 26 in Paris.

  • The sale totaled $548,900 (EUR491,500), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 39 works sold totaling $548,900.
  • Estimates totaled: $716,000 (low) and $1.04m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 51% of the original 76 lots announced.

The star lot was: Fahr-El-nissa Zeid, Sunrise, Ischia (1961), which sold for $170,600, 208% above its $55,200 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 708% above its low estimate. Fikret Saygi Mualla, Untitled (1954), sold for $10,700 ($1,325 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 20 works, or 51%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 17 works, or 44%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 2 works, or 5%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

35 works were bought-in, including: Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, Niulakita (1981), estimated at $55,200 (low) to $77,300 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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