Jean Jules Antoine Lecomte du Nouy Leads Sotheby's $2.77m 'Tableaux 1400–1900' Auction in Paris

A work by Jean Jules Antoine Lecomte du Nouy was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Tableaux 1400–1900' auction on June 11 in Paris.

• The sale totaled $2.77m (EUR2.43m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 36 works sold totaling $2.77m.
• Estimates totaled: $3.48m (low) and $5.09m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 65% of the original 55 lots announced.

The star lot was: Jean Jules Antoine Lecomte du Nouy, The Sorceress (1903), which sold for $376,700, 178% above its $135,200 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 1078% above its low estimate. Joan Reixach, Virgin (called Veronica of the Virgin) (Undated), sold for $79,700 ($6,762 low estimate).

• 13 works, or 36%, sold above their high estimate.
• 20 works, or 56%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 3 works, or 8%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

18 works were bought-in, including: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, The Housekeeper (Undated), estimated at $676,200 (low) to $901,600 (high). It has been traded 6 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Pieter Lastman, Crucifixion (1617) estimated at $22,500 (low) to $33,800 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.