LONDON.- The important collection of 46 ceramics by Jean Cocteau, the leading figure of the French avant-garde, was 100% sold at Bonhams Prints & Multiples sale (11-12 December 2019). Grand chêvre-cou set a world record for the most valuable Cocteau ceramic ever sold at auction. It achieved £37,563 against an estimate of £15,000-20,000.

Other ceramics that sold above estimate included; Le Théâtre Antique, 1958, which sold for £16,312 (estimate: £4,000-6,000) and Printemps, 1958, achieved £13,812 (estimate: £5,000-7,000).

The sale made a total of £1,757,223 with 86% sold by lot and 88% sold by value.

Other highlights in the sale included:

• Le Repas Frugal, from La Suite des Saltimbanques, 1904, by Pablo Picasso. Sold: £150,063.

• La Femme du Peintre by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) sold for £50,063. Estimate: £25,000-35,000.

• Bayer Suite, a complete set of six offset lithographs in colours, 1982, by Keith Haring sold for £43,812. Estimate £8,000-12,000.

• The Parable of the Blind leading the Blind, After Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) sold for £42,562. Estimate £5,000-7,000.

• The Festival of Fools, After Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) by Pieter van der Heyden (1530-1572) sold for £40,062. Estimate: £3,000-5,000.

Bonhams department director of Prints and Multiples, Lucia Tro Santafe, said “Jean Cocteau ceramics were only ever produced in very small editions, making his works incredibly rare. It is no surprise therefore that demand was so high for these beautiful pieces at auction today.”