The Facts
Bonhams' 19th Century & British Impressionist Art Sale on 23 September 2026 at its New Bond Street location in London saw strong results, with the top lot being Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky's 'An oxwagon traversing a ford on a moonlit evening,' which sold for £635,400—five times its pre-sale estimate. Another highlight was Sir Alfred James Munnings' 'Portrait of Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor on Bill's Simondale II,' which achieved £190,900, having remained in the Astor family by direct descent since its commission in the late 1930s. A second Munnings work, 'Sunset on the river, Hoxne,' sold for £152,800. Additional notable results included Konstantin Yakovlevich Kryzhitsky's 'A lake landscape with mountains beyond' at £152,800, Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky's 'Portrait of a Lady' at £121,050, and Henri Adolphe Laissement's 'Au Salon des Artistes Français en 1911' at £114,700.
The Signal
The sale's performance, particularly the Aivazovsky exceeding estimate by a wide margin, signals sustained collector demand for 19th-century and British Impressionist works with strong provenance and historical significance. The Munnings portrait's direct descent from the Astor family added a premium that collectors increasingly seek. For buyers, the results underscore the value of well-documented, single-owner works in this segment, while the breadth of Russian and European artists achieving six-figure sums suggests a broadening market beyond traditional British names.
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- Artists: Sir Alfred James Munnings, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, Konstantin Yakovlevich Kryzhitsky, Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky, Henri Adolphe Laissement, Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, Juana Romani
- People: Peter Rees, Waldorf Astor
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Locations: London
- Prices: £190,900, £152,800, £635,400, £121,050, £114,700, £104,540, £102,000
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