Emilio Sala Auction Prices and Value Guide
Emilio Sala auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 193 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Emilio Sala auction prices: quick answer
Emilio Sala auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Emilio Sala
- Source records
- 193
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Artist context
About Emilio Sala
Emilio Sala y Francés (1850–1910) was a Spanish painter and illustrator born in Alcoy, Alicante, who worked chiefly in Madrid. He is best known for portraits—particularly of female subjects—and genre paintings that capture the refined interiors and fashions of late nineteenth-century Spanish society. Working within the academic realist tradition, Sala developed a careful attention to texture, fabric, and light that reflects both Spanish academic training and broader European currents of the period. In addition to easel paintings, he produced illustrations for contemporary publications. Sala also taught, counting the painter Pierre Ribera among his students. His works appear in Spanish museum collections and have been offered at international auction, with 193 lots recorded in major databases.
Spanish academic painting, late 19th-century realismoil on canvasillustration (print)female portraitsgenre scenes
Common works and media
Sala's most commonly encountered works are oil paintings, especially female portraits and genre scenes depicting elegant domestic interiors. He also produced illustrations for printed publications. Subjects frequently include fashionable women, domestic life, and social gatherings rendered with detailed attention to costume, setting, and light. Works are typically found as medium-to-large format canvases dating from the 1870s through the first decade of the twentieth century.
Market and appraisal context
Works by Emilio Sala y Francés appear at auction primarily as oil-on-canvas paintings, with female portraits and genre scenes the most frequently offered categories. Valuation depends on the quality of the sitter's rendering, compositional complexity, paint-surface condition, provenance documentation, and secure attribution. Larger, more detailed compositions tend to attract stronger interest. Sala's market is concentrated in Spain and among collectors of nineteenth-century European academic painting. Buyers should note that attribution can be uncertain for unsigned or undocumented works, and professional condition reports are advisable given the age of these paintings. Auction records are modest relative to more prominent Spanish painters of the same era.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Appraisal caveats
- Sala's auction market is modest compared to more widely known Spanish contemporaries; price data is limited.
- Some authority records list conflicting birth years (1847 vs. 1850); the RKD-sourced date of 1850-01-20 is the most specific and widely corroborated.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- VIAF (OCLC) library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- Library of Congress library authority
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 Emilio Sala 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 Emilio Sala artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.