By Michael Coulson : With a combined gross low estimate not far short of R50m from the art alone, to say nothing of the furniture, jewellery and other items, our leading auction houses are oitching their hopes high for Cape Town's last two auctions of the year. And, as has not always been the case recently, success will rely heavily on Irma Stern, whose works contribute just over R22m, or about 47% of the total.

Up first is Stephan Welz & Co, on October 2 and 3 at Alphen, where art features in no fewer than four of the six sessions. Three of these, however, are minor. On Tuesday morning, 106 lots carry a total low estimate of about R535 000, barely R5 000 each. On Tuesday afternoon, another 75 lots are put at about R860 000, or R11 500 each. Early Tuesday evening 11 lots estimated at R86 000 are being sold for the benefit of the Lights From Africa charity, and then comes the main session.

This comprises 104 lots with a low estimate of just under R18.9m, taking the total to 296 lots with a gross low estimate of just over R20.3m. Three Sterns make up R9.7m of this: a Madeira scene (R3.5m-R5m), a Mother & Child (R4m-R6m) and a still life (R2.2m-R2.6m). Other highly rated lots are Anton van Wouw's bronze The Skapu-Player (R700 000-R900 000), a Pierneef landscape (R650 000-R700 000), a Cecil Skotnes carved railway sleeper (R400 000-R450 000), and landscapes by Pieter Wenning (R380 000-R4000 000) and Keith Alexander (R350 000-R400 000). A clutch of works are estimated at R300 000-R350 000 or R400 000: two Walter Battisses, a William Kentridge multi-media Two Heads, another Alexander, George Pemba's Witchdoctor and two Tretchikoffs.

Most represented artists are Battiss, Peter Clarke, Gabriel de Jongh and Alexander Rose-Innes (six each) and Gregoire Boonzaaier, Adriaan Boshoff, Tinus de Jongh, Pranas Domsaitis and Dino Paravano (five each).

Strauss & Co is holding only one session of art, at the Vineyard on the evening of the following Monday, October 7. The 123 lots of SA art have a gross low estimate of just under R26.8m, seven Sterns representing R12.35m of this, led by a still life (R5m-R7m). Tomato Pickers (R3m-R5m), a Madeira scene (R2m-R3m) and a Malay Woman (R1.5m-R2m). Other high estimates (starting at R400 000 and above) are two Dylan Lewis bronzes of Cheetahs (R500 000-R600 000 and R500 000-R600 000), a Maggie Laubser landscape (R500 000-R700 000), a Battiss oil in the same range, and several put at R400 000-R500 000 or R600 000: a Stern gouache landscape, another Laubser landscape, an Erik Laubscher still life, another Kentridge Head and a Stanley Pinker landscape.

At Strauss, most represented artists are Battiss and Christo Coetzee (10 each), Gregoire Boonzaaier and Kentridge (eight each), Petrus Meintjes, Stern and Marie Vermeulen-Breedt (seven each), Hylton Nel (six) and Lewis, Hugo Naude, Skotnes and Andrew Verster (five each).

With Bonhams' sale in London coming up in a couple of weeks, October will be a major test of the state of the market for SA art.