George Leslie Hunter Leads Bonhams $1.02m 'Scottish Art' Auction in Edinburgh

A work by George Leslie Hunter was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Scottish Art' auction on May 15 in Edinburgh.

• The sale totaled $1.02m, meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 115 works sold totaling $1.02m.
• Estimates totaled: $886,200 (low) and $1.33m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 75% of the original 153 lots announced.

The star lot was: George Leslie Hunter, Still life with roses in a Chinese blue and white jar (1916), which sold for $120,500, 125% above its $49,700 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 500% above its low estimate. Alexander Jamieson, Geese and Rabbit in the Garden (Undated), sold for $6,125 ($994 low estimate).

• 55 works, or 48%, sold above their high estimate.
• 46 works, or 40%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 14 works, or 12%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

38 works were bought-in, including: Paul McPhail, Mother & Child (1992), estimated at $37,300 (low) to $62,200 (high). It has been traded once in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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