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George Leslie Hunter Leads Bonhams $581,400 'Scottish Art' Auction in Edinburgh

3 min read  ·  09 Oct 2024

Still Life with Fruit and Flowers by George Leslie Hunter sold for $141,700.
Image courtesy of Bonhams

Still Life with Fruit and Flowers by George Leslie Hunter sold for $141,700. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by George Leslie Hunter was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Scottish Art' auction on October 9 in Edinburgh.

  • The sale totaled $581,400 (GBP444,700), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 72 works sold totaling $581,400.
  • Estimates totaled: $654,400 (low) and $950,100 (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 67% of the original 107 lots announced.

The star lot was: George Leslie Hunter, Still Life with Fruit and Flowers (Undated), which sold for $141,700, 79% above its $79,100 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 480% above its low estimate. Alexander Jamieson, The Tuileries Garden (Undated), sold for $5,355 ($923 low estimate).

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 28 works, or 39%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 34 works, or 47%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 10 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

35 works were bought-in, including: Samuel John Peploe Rsa, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris (Undated), estimated at $92,300 (low) to $131,800 (high). It has been traded 3 times 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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