NEW YORK.- German and Austrian art continues to lead the day in the art market and the sale at Bonhams New York was no exception. Following the success of the property form the Wittgenstein estate in June of 2006, Bonhams January 26, 2007 sale of European Art: Including Old Master and 19th century drawings featured three more lots of drawings from that esteemed collection all of which surpassed their pre-sale estimates. The enthusiasm for the Wittgenstein property carried over to many of the other lots. Other German drawing highlights included a portrait head of a beaded man by the renowned German draughtsman Adolphe von Menzel for $32,863. Four works by Max Liebermann were also sold with pastel beach scene making $21,510 and a black chalk drawing of a seated woman fetched $13,145.

German and Austrian paintings were lead by group of Romantic works that drew the attention of foreign and American buyers alike. Telephones were busy as genre works were hammered down to foreign collectors. Most notably, a disarming panel by Felix Schlesinger sold for the surprising price of $33,460 against an $8000-12,000 presale estimate. Also achieving success was a small panel of a courting couple by Hugo Kaufmann that sold for $15,535 and a Meyer von Bremen of a girl holding a nosegay for $14,340.

The most popular painting in the sale was a modest seascape by the Belgian master Alfred Stevens. Known more for his depictions of elegant women dressed in fin de siecle finery-most notably Sarah Bernhart- this small work was chased by eight phone bidders to $27,485 well above its $3000-5000 pre-sale estimate. Another Belgian highlight was a vase of pink roses by Frans Mortelmans. The still life sold to Belgium for the strong price of $26,888 which is among the top ten prices for his work at auction.

Parisian works were garnered interest with a small Edouard Cortes fetching $26,888 and an Antoine Blanchard was hammered down for $11,950. A fashionable couple by Jean Gabriel Domergue fetched a strong price $4780 for a watercolor by the artist.