The Sachsen-Meiningen set of Audubon prints The Birds of America were among the more than 400 lots sold at Christie’s this past Friday, June 25.

Numerous records were established throughout the sale. The auction consisted of 424 lots with 317 of those finding buyers. The sale posted a sold rate of 75 percent, resulting in a gross sales total of $5,744,158.

“The Sachsen-Meiningen set of Audubon’s The Birds of America, an extraordinary set because of its excellent and uncut condition and supremely fresh coloring, attracted a wide, mainly American audience, including large numbers of new bidders,” stated Francis Wahlgren, head of the books and manuscripts department at Christie’s.

“The uniqueness and freshness of the set were easily recognizable and caused numerous plates to sell for prices that far surpassed previous records. The total result was a world record for any Audubon set sold on a plate by plate basis at auction,” he said.

Other record-setting lots included snowy owl, Plate 121 at $186,700; a roseate spoonbill, Plate 321, $175,500; American white pelican, Plate 311, $175,500; and a snowy heron, or white egret, Plate 242, realized $153,100. A fish hawk, or osprey print, Plate 81, sold for $141,900; a trumpeter swan, Plate 406, $119,500; common American swan, Plate 411, $119,500; Carolina parrot, Plate 26, $119,500; and an Iceland or jer falcon print, Plate 366, went out at $119,500.