# Bonhams 19th Century & British Impressionist Art Sale Achieves Top Lot of £635,400 for Aivazovsky

- Published: 2026-09-28
- Source: Bonhams (Auction House)
- Press release dated: 2026-09-23
- Event date: 2026-09-23
- Category: Auction Result
- Cities: London
- Original release: https://www.bonhams.com/press_release/41684/
- Canonical: https://culturalsignal.com/bonhams-19th-century-british-impressionist-art-sale-achieves-top-lot-of-635-400-for-aivazovsky

## 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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