Fern Isabel Coppedge Leads Rago Arts & Auction Center $675,600 'American & European Art' Auction in Lambertville

A work by Fern Isabel Coppedge was the headline sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center 'American & European Art' auction on November 14 in Lambertville.

• The sale totaled $675,600, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 96 works sold totaling $675,600.
• Estimates totaled: $770,700 (low) and $1.14m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 76% of the original 126 lots announced.

The star lot was: Fern Isabel Coppedge, Autumn (Undated), which sold for $63,000, 215% above its $20,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 446% above its low estimate. Paul Emile Pissarro, La Baignade (1949), sold for $16,400 ($3,000 low estimate).

• 35 works, or 36%, sold above their high estimate.
• 20 works, or 21%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 41 works, or 43%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

26 works were bought-in, including: Marsden Hartley, Bird of Paradise #3 (Undated), estimated at $100,000 (low) to $150,000 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

4 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Giorgio Morandi, Natura morta (1949) estimated at $20,000 (low) to $30,000 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.