According to Bloomberg, the private equity firm Epiris, which acquired Bonhams in 2018, has appointed financial services giant JP Morgan Chase to explore the possibility of a sale. Neither Bonhams, Epiris nor JP Morgan have commented.
The price Epiris paid for Bonhams has never been disclosed but is thought to have been in the £200m-300m range.
It has since made a string of acquisitions, purchasing Swedish auction house Bukowskis, US firm Skinner, Danish saler oom Bruun Rasmussen and French outfit Cornette de Saint Cyr.
In 2022 Bonhams reported a record annual turnover of more than $1bn (£840m).