Clement Drew Auction Prices and Value Guide

Clement Drew auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 284 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Clement Drew auction prices: quick answer

Clement Drew auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Clement Drew
Source records
284
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Clement Drew

Clement Drew (1806–1889) was an American painter active in Boston, Massachusetts, during the mid-to-late 19th century. Born in Kingston, Massachusetts, Drew established himself as a specialist in marine paintings, depicting the ships, harbors, and coastal scenes that defined New England's maritime culture. He maintained studios at several Boston addresses over a career spanning roughly four decades, including Court Street in the 1840s through 1860s, Tremont Street, Copeland Street, and finally Tremont Temple in 1889. In addition to painting, Drew operated as a dealer in picture-frames, placing him at the intersection of artistic production and the Boston art trade. His work is documented in the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History), Getty's Union List of Artist Names, and the Library of Congress name authority file. Collectors most often encounter Drew's work through marine paintings that capture the vessel traffic and harbor life of 19th-century Boston.

19th-century American marine paintingoil paintingmarine subjectsships and seascapes

Common works and media

Drew's known output consists primarily of oil paintings of marine subjects, including ship portraits, harbor scenes, and coastal views centered on Boston and the broader New England coastline. He worked on canvas and panel in the descriptive, moderately scaled tradition of 19th-century American ship portraitists. Prints or reproductive works after his paintings have not been documented in the available sources. Collectors should expect to encounter single-owner oil paintings, typically unsigned or bearing period signatures, in small to moderate dimensions consistent with the genre.

Market and appraisal context

Clement Drew's marine paintings appear at auction with some regularity, reflecting the sustained collector interest in 19th-century American maritime art. When evaluating a Drew painting, appraisers consider subject specificity—depictions of named vessels or recognizable harbor views tend to carry more weight than generic seascapes—as well as condition, provenance, and the quality of attribution. Some works linked to Drew relate to his framing business rather than his hand as a painter, so careful examination of signatures and documentation is advisable. Comparable auction results for similar Boston-school marine paintings from the same period provide useful valuation benchmarks.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • 19th-century American paintings
  • marine art

Value drivers

  1. Subject matter is a key factor: Drew's marine paintings of specific vessels or notable Boston Harbor scenes tend to be more sought after than generic compositions.
  2. Attribution should be confirmed, as unsigned or poorly documented marine paintings from this period are sometimes misattributed.
  3. Condition and provenance significantly affect value for 19th-century American marine paintings.

Appraisal caveats

  • No major museum collection holdings or catalogue raisonné were identified in the source pack, making attribution and comprehensive work lists harder to verify.
  • Drew was also a picture-frame dealer, and some works associated with his name may reflect his framing business rather than his authorship as a painter.

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

Data basis

This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for Clement Drew

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Clement Drew worth?

Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.

Can Appraisily value my Clement Drew artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.