William Adolphe Bouguereau Leads Sotheby's $4.21m 'Master Paintings & Sculpture: 1300–1900' Auction in New York

A work by William Adolphe Bouguereau was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Master Paintings & Sculpture: 1300–1900' auction on May 22 in New York.

• The sale totaled $4.21m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 98 works sold totaling $4.21m.
• Estimates totaled: $5.37m (low) and $7.94m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 71% of the original 138 lots announced.

The star lot was: William Adolphe Bouguereau, The Palm Fronde (La Palme) (1894), which sold for $381,000, 27% above its $300,000 low estimate. It has been traded 7 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 979% above its low estimate. Francisca Rodero y Gregory, Escaping Criticism (Huyendo de la critica) (1893), sold for $215,900 ($20,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 34 works, or 35%, sold above their high estimate.
• 33 works, or 34%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 31 works, or 32%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

14 works were backed by guarantees, including: Jakob Bogdani, Asian Silkie Fowls, a South American Parrot, and Other Birds in an Imaginary Landscape (Undated). It sold for $152,400, 1% above its $150,000 low estimate.. It has been traded twice in the past.

Works that did not sell

37 works were bought-in, including: Adriaen Coorte, Chestnuts on a Ledge (1705), estimated at $600,000 (low) to $800,000 (high). It has been traded 5 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

3 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Sebastien Stoskopff, Still Life with a Wine Jug, a Red Wine Glass, a Loaf of Bread, a Knife, and Pastries on a Pewter Plate (Undated) estimated at $400,000 (low) to $600,000 (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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.