Vasily Polenov Leads Bonhams' $3.62m '19th Century and British Impressionist Art' Auction in London

A work by Vasily Polenov was the headline sale at Bonhams' '19th Century and British Impressionist Art' auction on March 20 in London.

• The sale totaled $3.62m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 77 works sold totaling $3.62m.
• Estimates totaled: $2.13m (low) and $3.14m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 76% of the original 101 lots announced.

The star lot was: Vasily Polenov, 'And she went and told them that she had been with Him as they mourned and wept' (Undated), which sold for $1.75m, 225% above its $507,900 low estimate. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 400% above its low estimate. Edward Reginald Frampton, 'Or in a clear-wall'd city on the sea Near gilded organ pipes, her hair wound with white roses, slept St.Cecily, An angel look'd at her' (Undated), sold for $73,200 ($12,700 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 44 works, or 57%, sold above their high estimate.
• 33 works, or 43%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

23 works were bought-in, including: Etienne Alphonse Dinet, Little girls playing in the palm grove (Undated), estimated at $190,500 (low) to $317,400 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Edward Coley Burne-Jones, The Song of Solomon (Undated) estimated at $8,888 (low) to $12,700 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.