Nine questions curious readers send us most often, answered plainly and with attribution.
Materials are often a small part of the price. Concentrated hand labour, years of training, brand narrative and deliberately limited supply usually weigh far more. Our craft room breaks this down.
The hammer price is the winning bid. Headline figures usually include the buyer's premium, a percentage the auction house adds and the buyer pays.
No. An asking price is what a seller hopes to receive. A documented sale is what someone actually paid. We label each separately.
Provenance is the documented ownership history of an object. A strong, verifiable history reduces doubt about authenticity and can make an object unique, as with Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona sold by Phillips in 2017. See our rarity room.
We do not make investment recommendations. Famous results are outliers; many lots sell below estimate or fail to sell, and costs such as premiums, insurance and storage reduce returns.
Partly because hand production is slow, and partly because limiting supply protects exclusivity and resale value. The wait is often as much strategy as necessity.
We prefer auction house results and official statements, then reputable reporting. Each figure carries its currency, date and status, and unconfirmed estimates are either labelled or left out. More on our lens.
Salvator Mundi, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, sold at Christie's New York on 15 November 2017 for US$450.3 million including buyer's premium.
No. Fablefjortempopand is independent and is not affiliated with any maker, auction house, hotel or brand it mentions.
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