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Marc Chagall's Nativity Scene Leads Christie's $3.18m 'Entre Ciel et Terre' Online Auction

3 min read  ·  23 Oct 2024

Sainte famille en rouge et bouc en vert by Marc Chagall sold for $177,300.
Image courtesy of Christie's Online

Sainte famille en rouge et bouc en vert by Marc Chagall sold for $177,300. Image courtesy of Christie's Online

Marc Chagall's nativity scene was the headline sale at Christie's Online 'Marc Chagall : entre ciel et terre - Oeuvres provenant de la succession de l'artiste.' auction on October 22.

  • The sale totaled $3.18m (EUR2.94m), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 72 works sold totaling $3.18m.
  • Estimates totaled: $759,500 (low) and $1.14m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Marc Chagall, Sainte famille en rouge et bouc en vert (1950), which sold for $177,300, 800% above its $19,700 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 2269% above its low estimate. Marc Chagall, Élie sur son char de feu (1952), sold for $13,000 ($547 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 70 works, or 97%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 2 works, or 3%, 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

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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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