Constantin Guys Auction Prices and Value Guide
Constantin Guys auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 670 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Constantin Guys auction prices: quick answer
Constantin Guys auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Constantin Guys
- Source records
- 670
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Constantin Guys
Constantin Guys (1802–1892) was a Dutch-born watercolorist, painter, and illustrator who spent much of his career working for British and French newspapers as a war correspondent and visual reporter. Born in the Netherlands to a French family, Guys traveled widely and became best known for his on-the-spot watercolor drawings of military campaigns, particularly the Crimean War, and of fashionable urban life in Paris and London. His fluid draftsmanship and eye for contemporary detail attracted the attention of leading writers and critics of his era. Today his work is held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History records over 1,600 images attributed to him. Guys occupies a distinctive place in nineteenth-century art as a chronicler of modernity whose reportage drawings bridge journalism and fine-art watercolor painting.
19th-century reportage illustration and watercolor paintingwatercolordrawingoil paintingillustration (print)military and war scenes (Crimean War)Parisian and London society lifefashion and modern urban life
Common works and media
Collectors are most likely to encounter original watercolors and ink wash drawings on paper, often depicting military encampments, cavalry, battle scenes, or fashionable society figures. Gouache works and preparatory sketches also appear. Newspaper and book illustrations reproduced as wood engravings or lithographs after Guys's designs are common in the print market. Oil paintings by Guys are comparatively rare.
Market and appraisal context
Constantin Guys maintains an active and broadly distributed secondary market. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 284 total lots, of which 159 carry recorded prices, spanning from June 1998 through April 2026. The price distribution centers modestly: a median of $508, an interquartile range of $250–$1,200, and a recorded maximum of $6,375. Liquidity is steady—18 lots appeared in the most recent 12 months versus 23 in the prior period—with no dramatic contraction. Major houses including Christie's and Sotheby's appear alongside a wide roster of regional and specialist firms (Artcurial, Aguttes, Tajan, Piasa, Osenat, Roseberys, Sloane Street Auctions, Millon Riviera, Sworders, Van Ham, Waddington's), indicating that works surface regularly across both premium and mid-tier sale rooms in Europe, the UK, and North America. The most recent confirmed sale—€4,000 at Artcurial in March 2026 for an unspecified work—represents the top of the observed range, while typical watercolors and ink drawings cluster between roughly €200 and €800. Lithographs and prints after Guys tend to sell at the lower end and sometimes pass without bids.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Old Master & 19th Century Drawings and Watercolours
- Works on Paper
- watercolor
- drawing
- oil painting
Value drivers
- Medium: watercolors and drawings are the most commonly encountered works at auction
- Subject matter: Crimean War scenes, military subjects, and Parisian society scenes
- Attribution: with over 1,600 works recorded in RKD, attribution should reference established catalogues
- Provenance and condition are especially important for works on paper from this period
- Medium: original watercolors and ink-wash drawings command the highest prices; lithographs and reproductive prints trade at significantly lower levels.
- Subject matter: Crimean War and military scenes, Parisian society subjects, and equestrian compositions are the most sought-after categories.
Appraisal caveats
- The birth year is disputed (1802 vs. 1805); appraisal documents should note the conflict or follow the source used for catalogue entry.
- Guys worked extensively as a newspaper illustrator, so prints and reproductive engravings after his work may circulate alongside original watercolors and drawings.
- The source pack does not include major auction-house result pages; comparable sale prices should be verified against current auction records.
- Of 284 tracked lots, only 159 (56%) carry recorded prices; many lots pass unsold or have unreported results, so the price distribution reflects successful sales only.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
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.
Artist value FAQ
How much is Constantin Guys 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 Constantin Guys artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.