Quentin Blake's Cats and Their Lovers Raise $116,200 at Bonhams for Artist's Museum Fundraiser
3 min read · 10 Oct 2024
Cat Lover by Quentin Blake sold for $9,204. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by Quentin Blake was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Four-Legged and Feathered Friends A Fundraising Sale for the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration' on October 9.
- The sale totaled $116,200 (GBP88,900), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 65 works sold totaling $116,200.
- Estimates totaled: $67,100 (low) and $97,500 (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 96% of the original 68 lots announced.
The star lot was: Quentin Blake, Cat Lover (2022), which sold for $9,204, 766% above its $1,063 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
The outperformer sold for 766% above its low estimate. Quentin Blake, Cat Lover (2022), sold for $9,204 ($1,063 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 45 works, or 69%, sold above their high estimate.
- 12 works, or 18%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 8 works, or 12%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
3 works were bought-in, including: Quentin Blake, Feathered & Four Legged Friends No. 8 (2024), estimated at $1,594 (low) to $2,391 (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Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.
