Henry Scott Tuke Leads Sotheby's $4m '19th Century European Art' Auction in New York

A work by Henry Scott Tuke was the headline sale at Sotheby's '19th Century European Art' auction on February 5 in New York.

• The sale totaled $4.09m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 97 works sold totaling $4.09m.
• Estimates totaled: $5.59m (low) and $8.16m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 63% of the original 155 lots announced.

The star lot was: Henry Scott Tuke, Lovers of the Sun (1923), which sold for $372,000, 148% above its $150,000 low estimate. It has been traded 6 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 860% above its low estimate. Bertha Wegmann, Paris Interior with Still Life (1880), sold for $96,000 ($10,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 36 works, or 37%, sold above their high estimate.
• 25 works, or 26%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 36 works, or 37%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

55 works were bought-in, including: Julien Dupre, Rye Reapers, in Picardy (Les Faucheurs de seigle, en Picardie) (Undated), estimated at $450,000 (low) to $750,000 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: William Powell Frith, Hogarth brought before the Governor of Calais as a Spy (1851) estimated at $250,000 (low) to $300,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.