The early 1840s Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey daguerreotypes were the stars of the recent Photographs action at Christie’s in Paris. While the 41 lots of dags kicking off the larger sale didn’t go white glove, 37 out of 41 finding buyers, many at prices above the estimate range (especially the column views), was certainly a positive way to get the sale going. The rest of the auction proved more routine, with softness among the higher priced lots dampening the early momentum. The overall Buy-In rate settled in at 25%, and the Total Sale Proceeds fell into the middle of the aggregate pre-sale range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 104 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €2691500 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €3892500 |
| Total Lots Sold | 78 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 26 |
| Buy In % | 25.00% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €3086825 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 12 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 10 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 2 |
| Low Buy In % | 16.67% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €62500 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €55625 |
| Mid Total Lots | 55 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 46 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 9 |
| Mid Buy In % | 16.36% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €1090000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €1099800 |
| Total High Lots | 37 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 22 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 15 |
| High Buy In % | 40.54% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €2740000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €1931400 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 71, Robert Mapplethorpe, Man in Polyester Suit, 1980, estimated at €180000-250000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at €361500.
96.15% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 8 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 19, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 23. Rome. Juniper Tonnat, 1842, estimated at €30000-50000, sold at €175500
Lot 30, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 53. Athènes. Temple de Bacchus, 1842, estimated at €8000-12000, sold at €32500
Lot 32, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 73. Alexandrie. Grand Minaret, 1842, estimated at €10000-15000, sold at €35000
Lot 34, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 74. Pres D’Alexandrie, le Desert, 1842, estimated at €40000-60000, sold at €133500 (image in preview post)
Lot 35, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 68. Alexandrie. Colonne de Pompée, 1842, estimated at €10000-15000, sold at €43500
Lot 34, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 83. Rosette. Rue ? (publiée), 1842, estimated at €8000-12000, sold at €61500
Lot 94, Frank Thiel, Stadt 2/44, Berlin, 1999, estimated at €5000-7000, sold at €15000
Lot 100, Lewis Baltz, Continuous Fire, Polar Circle, 1985, estimated at €7000-9000, sold at €51900
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
