Henri Matisse Leads Christie's Online $1.4m 'Matisse on Paper: Prints & Drawings from the Matisse Family Collection' Auction

A work by Henri Matisse was the headline sale at Christie's Online 'Matisse on Paper: Prints & Drawings from the Matisse Family Collection' auction on June 17.

• The sale totaled $1.4m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 58 works sold totaling $1.4m.
• Estimates totaled: $656,700 (low) and $967,500 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Henri Matisse, Escargots (1953), which sold for $75,600, 800% above its $8,000 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1800% above its low estimate. Henri Matisse, Motif décoratif (1946), sold for $13,900 ($700 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.

• 42 works, or 72%, sold above their high estimate.
• 10 works, or 17%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 6 works, or 10%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

0 works were bought-in.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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