An overall Buy-In rate above 55% dampened the results of the recent photography sale at Millon in Paris. A vintage print from Henri Cartier-Bresson took the top lot honors, but even with a handful of positive surprises, the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly €325K) fell below the low end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 510 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €465050 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €693100 |
| Total Lots Sold | 220 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 290 |
| Buy In % | 56.86% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €324525 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 507 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 217 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 290 |
| Low Buy In % | 57.20% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €653100 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €273275 |
| Mid Total Lots | 3 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 3 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Mid Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €40000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €51250 |
| Total High Lots | 0 |
| Total High Lots Sold | NA |
| Total High Lots Bought In | NA |
| High Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €0 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €0 |
The top lot by High estimate was tied between two lots, each estimated at €10000-15000: lot 45, W. Eugene Smith, A Walk to Paradise Garden, 1946/c1960, and lot 384, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Grenadines, Alicante, 1933; the Smith print sold at €17500, while the Cartier-Bresson print was the top outcome of the sale at €20000 (image above, via Millon).
98.64% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 16 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate); listed below are the 7 of those surprises that found buyers at prices of €2000 or above (images above, via Millon):
Lot 29, Emmanuel Flamant et autres, Jardin Zoologique d’Acclimatation au Bois de Boulogne (43 prints), c1883, estimated at €300-400, sold at €2250
Lot 32, Pierre Petit et Emmanuel Flamant, Jardin Zoologique d’Acclimatation au Bois de Boulogne (170 prints), c1880-1890, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €6875
Lot 37, Madame D’Ora, Joséphine Baker, nu à genoux, c1928, estimated at €400-600, sold at €4000
Lot 120, Helmut Newton, Nu allongé, 1975, estimated at €1600-2000, sold at €12500
Lot 174, Franck-François-Genès Chauvassaignes, Modèle légèrement dénudé, c1853-1857, estimated at €1500-2500, sold at €5125
Lot 184, Anonymous, Le photographe et son modèle, De Saint Lieux, 1857, estimated at €150-300, sold at €2125
Lot 452, Erica Lennard, Autoportrait, c1980, estimated at €300-400, sold at €2500
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
