By Michael Coulson : The failure -- not for the first time in recent sales -- of some of the fancied Irma Sterns was partially redeemed by some remarkable prices in unexpected places at Bonhams's sale of SA art in London last week. Notably, Vladimir Tretchikoff's Red Jacket, a portrait of the artist's muse and lover in wartime Java, Lenka, estimated at £50 000-£80 000, which auctioneer Giles Peppiatt tells me he thought could reach £100 000 on a good day, went for a staggering £337 000 (R4.7m).

Another artist who's attracting increasing interest is Stanley Pinker, and his The Garden of Eden also fetched £ 337 000 (est £70 000-£100 000). These were both artists' records, while a pair of works on paper by Pierneef was bid up to £289 000 (est £70 000-£100 000), five times the previous record for a work on paper by the artist. Pierneef also chalked up the top price, £361 000 for a Transvaal landscape (est £300 000-£500 000).

Conversely, only six of the 17 Sterns in the main (Bond Street) session found buyers, including Malay Lady in Yellow (£361 000, est £350 000-£550 000), Young Xhosa Woman (£205 000, est £150 000-£200 000), and the charming view of the backyard of her home in Rosebank (£193 000, est £120 000-£180 000). But overall the Sterns grossed only £792 000, against the low estimate of £1.75m (remember, reported prices are hammer-plus, estimates are hammer only), marginally less than the £796 000 grossed by the five (of 14 on offer) Pierneefs (est £930 000).

Peppiatt feels that there have simply been too many Sterns on offer recently. It may also be that the hype over the artist has brought works of secondary quality on to the market. Overall, though, he believes that -- repeating auctioneers' standard mantra of recent months -- the sale confirms that there's still good demand for top-quality art. He's also pleased by the emergence of new non-SA buyers, reflecting growing international interest in SA art.

The sale in fact did a little better than Bonhams' corresponding sale last year. even though expectations (in the form of a lower estimate range) had been downgraded. At the minor (Knightsbridge) session, 115 of 225 lots sold for £225 000 (est £320 000-£440 000) and at Bond Street 60 of 130 for £3.31m (est £4.1m-£6m). So overall the return was 175 of 355, or fractionally under 50%, for £3.535m (est £4.4m-£6.44m). At last Wednesday's closing rate of 13.89, that equates to R49.1m. Last year's sale grossed the equivalent of R42.1m on a low estimate as high as R107.9m.

Lower down the scale, another remarkable price was £121 000 for a William Kentridge drawing (est £50 000-£80 000). Anton van Wouw's Bushman went for £85 000 (est £60 000-£90 000), another Pierneef for £73 000 (est £60 000-£90 000), two Gerald Sekotos for £79 000 (est £70 000-£90 000) and £67 000 (£60 000-£90 000) and a Freida Lock Zanzibar scene for £59 000 (est £50 000-£80 000).

The Sekotos are an indication of developing interest in black artists. There was also a record £27 500 for Gladys Mgudlandlu's The Newly Weds (est £8 000-£12 000), while the top price at Knightsbridge was £21 250 for another Sekoto, a portrait of a Lady (est £3 000-£5 000). At Bond Street, all five Mgudlandlus sold, as did five of the six Sekotos. On the other hand, of the other most represented white artists, only two of 11 Skotneses went, three of six Stella Shawzins, and two of five Locks. At Knightsbridge, there were another 10 Mgudlandlus; seven sold, as did seven of eight John Muafangejos and all five Gerard Bhengus.

Others well represented at Knightsbridge were Frans Claerhout (just one of eight sold), W H Coetzer (two of five), Gabriel de Jongh (five of six), Sidney Goldblatt (none of five), Kentridge (five of seven) and Douglas Portway (two of eight).