LONDON.- Following Wednesday night's Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, today at Sotheby's in London a collection of unique ceramics by Pablo Picasso belonging to the artist’s granddaughter, Marina Picasso, soared well above the pre-sale high estimate to bring a combined total of £12,344,250 / $19,373,066 / €17,342,440. The ‘White Glove’, 100% sold, auction saw 87% of lots achieving prices above their high estimates.

Guillaume Cerutti, CEO, Sotheby’s France and Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe, said: “We are delighted with today’s remarkable results, as is Mrs. Marina Picasso. A part of the sale proceeds will be allocated to educational programs for children in need, a cause that she has always championed. We thank her once again for entrusting us with works from her legendary collection and it has been a privilege working with her on bringing this wonderful group of ceramics to auction.”

James Mackie, Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art specialist, said: “Today’s auction of unique Picasso ceramics was a landmark moment for sales of the artist’s work, setting a new benchmark for this medium. What makes these ceramics so special is that they were modelled by the artist’s own hands and are infused with a raw energy. Unlike Picasso’s editioned ceramics, each work is truly a one-off and this is why we saw such a fevered demand from collectors.”

One of the most extensive and important groups of the artist’s work in this medium, the collection offered an incomparable insight into Picasso’s work in clay and the extraordinary breadth of his creativity and versatility. The collection comprised 126 lots, spanning examples from 1947-48 through to the late 1960s, and encompassing hand-painted plates, vases and tiles, to hand-modelled figures and more sculptural pieces.

The top lot was Picasso’s Cabri, a vase of a baby goat, which sold for £485,000, over four times the pre-sale low estimate (£120,000-180,000).

Vase positif negatif, a large jug into which Picasso cut out a vase-shaped form while the clay was still wet, realised £365,000 (est. £180,000-250,000).