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J Steven Dews Leads Bonhams $727,200 'The Marine Sale' in London

3 min read  ·  17 Oct 2024

Shamrock V well ahead of Candida off Cowes by J Steven Dews sold for $198,500.
Image courtesy of Bonhams

Shamrock V well ahead of Candida off Cowes by J Steven Dews sold for $198,500. Image courtesy of Bonhams

A work by J Steven Dews was the headline sale at Bonhams 'The Marine Sale' on October 16 in London.

  • The sale totaled $727,200 (GBP559,800), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 67 works sold totaling $727,200.
  • Estimates totaled: $404,000 (low) and $615,800 (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 78% of the original 86 lots announced.

The star lot was: J Steven Dews, Shamrock V well ahead of Candida off Cowes (Undated), which sold for $198,500, 397% above its $39,900 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 587% above its low estimate. Claude Muncaster, From the Foretop (1931), sold for $3,658 ($532 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

  • 33 works, or 49%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 30 works, or 45%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 4 works, or 6%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

19 works were bought-in, including: Montague Dawson, A China trader on the open sea (Undated), estimated at $33,300 (low) to $46,600 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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