ART

A landscape by the famous 19th-Century British artist J.M.W. Turner went begging in auction over the weekend, with bids into Christie’s in London not even nearing the seller’s minimum level of 6.5 million (about $11 million). The painting’s sale was expected to set the record for works by the artist, now at 7.37 million ($12.3 million). Ironically, a work by a relatively unknown 19th-Century Swiss artist, Jacques-Laurent Agasse, sold for 3.85 million ($6.44 million). The previous record for an Agasse work? $385,000. “The market’s always full of surprises, and sometimes it goes both ways,” said William Hanham, a spokesman for Christie’s.