William Adolphe Bouguereau Leads Sotheby's $3.37m '19th Century European Paintings & Sculpture' Auction in New York

A work by William Adolphe Bouguereau was the headline sale at Sotheby's '19th Century European Paintings & Sculpture' auction on February 2 in New York.

• The sale totaled $3.37m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 69 works sold totaling $3.37m.
• Estimates totaled: $5.55m (low) and $8.02m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 63% of the original 110 lots announced.

The star lot was: William Adolphe Bouguereau, La Fleur Préférée (also known as L'Odorat) (1895), which sold for $596,900, 19% above its $500,000 low estimate. It has been traded 13 times in the past.

The outperformer sold for 900% above its low estimate. William Adolphe Bouguereau, Crucifixion (Undated), sold for $53,300 ($5,000 low estimate).

• 29 works, or 42%, sold above their high estimate.
• 29 works, or 42%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 11 works, or 16%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

6 works were backed by guarantees, including: Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Inondation dans une saulie (Undated). It sold for $190,500, 23% below its $250,000 low estimate.. It has been traded 3 times in the past.

Works that did not sell

39 works were bought-in, including: Frank Dicksee, A Love Story (Undated), estimated at $250,000 (low) to $350,000 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

2 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Jules Adolphe Breton, A Peasant Girl Knitting (1870) estimated at $750,000 (low) to $950,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.