Calder Balloons Tapestry Leads Rago Arts & Auction Center $384,300 'Curated: CALDER' Auction in Lambertville

A work by After Alexander Calder was the headline sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center 'Curated: CALDER' auction on July 30 in Lambertville.

• The sale totaled $384,300, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 33 works sold totaling $384,300.
• Estimates totaled: $170,500 (low) and $245,900 (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 89% of the original 37 lots announced.

The star lot was: After Alexander Calder, Balloons tapestry (1975), which sold for $57,100, 716% above its $7,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 716% above its low estimate. After Alexander Calder, Balloons tapestry (1975), sold for $57,100 ($7,000 low estimate).

• 15 works, or 45%, sold above their high estimate.
• 12 works, or 36%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 6 works, or 18%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

4 works were bought-in, including: Alexander Calder, Pendant with Feldspar (1930), estimated at $15,000 (low) to $20,000 (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Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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