Sotheby's Old Master & 19th Century Paintings Auction Totals $6.43m

A work by Follower of Hieronymus Bosch, which had a guarantee, was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Old Master & 19th Century Paintings' auction on June 2 in New York.

• The sale totaled $6.43m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 121 works sold totaling $6.43m.
• Estimates totaled: $3.99m (low) and $5.76m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 92% of the original 132 lots announced.

The star lot was: Follower of Hieronymus Bosch, Hell (Undated), which sold for $537,600, 1692% above its $30,000 low estimate. The work was backed by a guarantee. It has been traded 8 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 1692% above its low estimate. Follower of Hieronymus Bosch, Hell (Undated), sold for $537,600 ($30,000 low estimate). The work was backed by a guarantee. It has been traded 8 times in the past.

• 57 works, or 47%, sold above their high estimate.
• 34 works, or 28%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 30 works, or 25%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

2 works were backed by guarantees, including: English School, A pair of portraits of a handsome couple (Undated). It sold for $2,432, 39% below its $4,000 low estimate..

Works that did not sell

10 works were bought-in, including: Nicolaes Maes, Portrait of Two Young Boys as Hunters in a Landscape (1661), estimated at $80,000 (low) to $120,000 (high). It has been traded 7 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Francesco de Mura, Robert of Anjou Witnessing the Construction of the Church of Santa Chiara, Naples (Undated), estimated at $25,000 (low) to $35,000 (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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.