James McNeill Whistler Leads Bonhams $3.44m '19th Century and British Impressionist Art' Auction in London
3 min read · 27 Sep 2024
Portrait of Lucas Alexander Ionides by James Mcneill Whistler sold for $544,100. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by James Mcneill Whistler was the headline sale at Bonhams '19th Century and British Impressionist Art' auction on September 25 in London.
- The sale totaled $3.44m (GBP2.57m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 64 works sold totaling $3.44m.
- Estimates totaled: $3.63m (low) and $5.33m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 65% of the original 99 lots announced.
The star lot was: James Mcneill Whistler, Portrait of Lucas Alexander Ionides (Undated), which sold for $544,100, 417% above its $105,100 low estimate. It has been traded 5 times in the past.
The outperformer sold for 714% above its low estimate. Alexander Alekseev, A Capri terrace (1923), sold for $42,800 ($5,253 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 35 works, or 55%, sold above their high estimate.
- 29 works, or 45%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
33 works were bought-in, including: William Adolphe Bouguereau, Fardeau Agréable (Pleasant Burden) (1895), estimated at $1.05m (low) to $1.58m (high). It has been traded 10 times in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Richard Karlovich Zommer, At the madrasa (Undated) estimated at $19,700 (low) to $26,300 (high).
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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.