Henri Jean Guillaume Martin Leads Sotheby's $5.6m 'Modern Day Auction' in London

A work by Henri Jean Guillaume Martin was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Modern Day Auction' on June 25 in London.

• The sale totaled $5.61m (GBP4.12m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 46 works sold totaling $5.61m.
• Estimates totaled: $6.2m (low) and $9.07m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 72% of the original 64 lots announced.

The star lot was: Henri Jean Guillaume Martin, Le Terrasse de Marquayrol (1920), which sold for $380,600, 87% above its $203,500 low estimate. It has been traded 4 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 218% above its low estimate. Henry Moret, Côte rocheuse (1901), sold for $346,000 ($108,500 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 12 works, or 27%, sold above their high estimate.
• 30 works, or 67%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 3 works, or 7%, sold below their low estimate.
• 1 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

5 works were backed by guarantees, including: Juan Gris, Compotier et livre (1925). It sold for $332,400, 22% above its $271,300 low estimate.. It has been traded 10 times in the past.

Works that did not sell

18 works were bought-in, including: Alfred Sisley, La Chemin de Saint-Mammès, le matin (1890), estimated at $542,600 (low) to $813,900 (high). It has been traded 7 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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