Henry Moore Leads Sotheby's $2.73m 'Modern British & Irish Art Day Auction' in London
3 min read · 06 Nov 2024
Madonna and Child by Henry Moore sold for $136,500. Image courtesy of Sotheby's
A work by Henry Moore was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Modern British & Irish Art Day Auction' on November 15 in London.
- The sale totaled $2.73m (GBP2.16m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 113 works sold totaling $2.73m.
- Estimates totaled: $3.05m (low) and $4.55m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 65% of the original 174 lots announced.
The star lot was: Henry Moore, Madonna and Child (1955), which sold for $136,500, 32% above its $103,400 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
The outperformer sold for 721% above its low estimate. Richard Petersen Atkinson, Three-Masted Barque and Two Sailing Ships at Queenstown, 1882 (1882), sold for $53,100 ($6,460 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 48 works, or 42%, sold above their high estimate.
- 45 works, or 40%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 20 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
60 works were bought-in, including: Paul Feiler, Mousehole v Paul (1953), estimated at $77,500 (low) to $103,400 (high). It has been traded once in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Gerard Dillon, Aran Islanders (Undated) estimated at $32,300 (low) to $45,200 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.