Sotheby's 19th & 20th Century European and British Art Auction Totals $6.9m

A work by William Degouve de Nuncques was the headline sale at Sotheby's '19th & 20th Century European and British Art Auction' on July 2 in London.

• The sale totaled $6.9m (GBP5.21m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 73 works sold totaling $6.9m.
• Estimates totaled: $7.81m (low) and $11.29m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 52% of the original 140 lots announced.

The star lot was: William Degouve de Nuncques, La nuit à Bruges (1897), which sold for $847,000, 6% above its $794,100 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 720% above its low estimate. Albert Pénot, Idle moments (Undated), sold for $54,200 ($6,605 low estimate).

• 29 works, or 40%, sold above their high estimate.
• 32 works, or 44%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 12 works, or 16%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

1 work was backed by a guarantee: Helene Schjerfbeck, Dancing Shoes (1883). It sold for $474,300, 79% above its $264,200 low estimate. It has been traded twice in the past.

Works that did not sell

65 works were bought-in, including: Lord Frederic Leighton, Sisters (Undated), estimated at $1.32m (low) to $1.99m (high). It has been traded 6 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Leon Bonnat, Jacob wrestling with an Angel (Undated), estimated at $52,800 (low) to $79,300 (high).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. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.