Bonhams Australia May series of auctions reflected the usual Bonhams approach to the sale of art and antiques which is characterised by high volume for both the number of sales and the number of lots being sold. 

An intensive six-catalogue auction series held in Sydney over three days was a risky manoeuvre for such a small market which has proven more responsive to more selective and tightly curated sales.  The risk didn’t pay off for Bonhams who could only have been disappointed with the results.

First off the block was the Fine Furniture, Decorative Arts & Asian Arts sale which was one of the more successful sales of the series with high prices achieved for some wonderful pieces of French furniture leading to figures of 69% sold by value and 57 sold by lot.

The cover lot of the sale, an important 1867 Louis XVI style lacquer and ormolu-mounted satinwood, amaranth and parquetry meuble à hauteur d'appui made specially made for the 1867 Great Exhibition in Paris by Louis Auguste Alfred Beurdeley, sold for AU$ 192,000 against an estimate of AU$50,000 - 80,000.

A French late 19th century Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted amaranth, sycamore, marquetry and parquetry breakfront commode made AU$38,400 while a French late 19th century Louis XV style satinwood, marquetry and gilt bronze mounted side cabinet sold for AU$30,000.

Most of the top lots from the Fine Jewellery sale, held on the same day as the Fine Furniture, Decorative Arts & Asian Arts sale, failed to sell including the diamond single-stone ring by Van Cleef & Arpels which was estimated to fetch AU$185,000 - 225,000.  Final sale figures of 30% sold by value and 52% sold by lot were particularly disappointing.

The cover lot of the jewellery sale, a turquoise and diamond necklace by Bulgari estimated at AU$135,000 - 155,000, failed to find a buyer on the night of the auction but was sold post-sale.  Selling for the highest price of the auction was a diamond longchain designed as two hundred and forty-eight slightly graduated, spectacle-set brilliant-cut diamonds weighing a total of 50.54 carats which made AU$72,000.

Aboriginal art proved a tough sell for Bonhams which was to be expected because of the lack of confidence in the market for indigenous art. The highest price for an Aboriginal work of art went to a painting by Paddy Bedford titled Thoonbi, 2006 which sold for AU$180,000. 

The cover lot of the main Aboriginal Art sale, Deaf Tommy Mungatopi’s Coral, sold for AU$60,000 while a wonderful painting by Clifford Possum titled Warlugulong made AU$38,400.

Children's Story by Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi from the Superannuation Fund of William Nuttall and Annette Reeves sold for AU$45,600, just ahead of Emily Kam Kngawarray’s Untitled painting which fetched AU$31,200.

The sale of the Fehilly Collection of Australian and international contemporary art was always going to be a hard sell considering that most of the works on offer were recent primary market purchases, but a clearance rate of only 35% could not have been expected.   

Gordon Bennett’s Haptic Painting Explorer (The Inland Sea) 1993 was one of the few highlights of the auction selling for AU$108,000 to art consultant Annette Larkin.  Thankfully for Bonhams, the two fantastic Evan Penny works also went to new homes selling for AU$78,000 AU$60,000 respectively.

Bonhams sale of Important Australian Art was also a bit of a disaster with only 16 of the 43 lots on offer going to new homes.  The biggest failure of the sale was the cover lot, Brett Whiteley’s The Shower, which was estimated at AU$440,000 - 550,000. 

Charles Conder’s Balmoral Beach 1888 was the saviour of the sale fetching AU$600,000 against an estimate of AU$500,000 - 600,000.  Other highlights of the Important Australian art sale were Fred Williams’ Kew Billabong III 1977 which made AU$300,000, and Brett Whiteley’s Milk 1976 which sold for AU$222,000.