Katsushika Hokusai Leads Christie's Online $1.23m 'Landscapes of Japan' Auction

A work by Katsushika Hokusai was the headline sale at Christie's Online 'Landscapes of Japan: Woodblock Prints from Edo to Post-War' auction on March 26.

• The sale totaled $1.23m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 90 works sold totaling $1.23m.
• Estimates totaled: $615,700 (low) and $823,100 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 99% of the original 91 lots announced.

The star lot was: Katsushika Hokusai, Fine wind, clear weather, Red Fuji (1831), which sold for $478,800, 36% above its $350,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 2,800% above its low estimate. Ohara Koson, Snow at Yanagibashi (1927), sold for $17,600 ($600 low estimate).

• 66 works, or 73%, sold above their high estimate.
• 17 works, or 19%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 7 works, or 8%, 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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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