Giacomo Guardi Auction Prices and Value Guide
Giacomo Guardi auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 433 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Giacomo Guardi auction prices: quick answer
Giacomo Guardi auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Giacomo Guardi
- Source records
- 433
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Giacomo Guardi
Giacomo Guardi (1764–1835) was an Italian painter and draftsperson active in Venice, best known as the son and pupil of Francesco Guardi, one of the last great masters of the Venetian veduta tradition. Born in Venice on April 13, 1764, Giacomo trained in his father's workshop and continued the family's practice of producing views of Venice and its lagoon well into the early nineteenth century. His work is closely tied to the late Venetian school, extending the topographical and atmospheric painting style that made the Guardi name prominent among collectors of Italian view paintings. While Giacomo's output is often discussed in relation to his father's more celebrated production, his paintings and drawings appear regularly in the Old Master market, and the RKD holds nearly 800 images attributed to his hand. He died in Venice on November 3, 1835.
Venetian school, veduta traditionoil paintingdrawingVenetian views (vedute)
Common works and media
Giacomo Guardi commonly worked in oil on canvas and on panel, as well as in ink and wash drawing. His typical subjects include Venetian city views (vedute), lagoon scenes, and architectural capricci, often on a small scale consistent with the Guardi workshop's production for the Grand Tour collector market. Works attributed to him range from finished cabinet paintings to preparatory drawings and sketches. Collectors may also encounter works catalogued as "Circle of Giacomo Guardi" or "Guardi Workshop" at auction.
Market and appraisal context
Giacomo Guardi maintains an active and liquid presence in the Old Master market, with 269 auction appearances recorded in the Appraisily dataset since 1994 and 182 of those carrying documented realized prices. The price distribution spans from €200 at the low end to €89,250 at the high end, with a median of €6,250 and an interquartile range of €3,000–€12,600. Liquidity is consistent: 22 lots appeared in the trailing twelve months (March 2025–March 2026) and 24 in the prior twelve months, indicating stable market throughput. The top tier of auction houses handling his work includes Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams, while Hampel Fine Art Auctions accounts for the largest share of recent activity in the German market. Recent Christie's results (February 2026) for watercolor views of Venice realized $5,080–$10,160, while Hampel results for oil paintings in the same period ranged from €10,000 to €25,000. Works described as follower or attributed lots trade at a discount to firmly signed pieces. The market is geographically concentrated in European houses—Germany, Italy, France, and the UK—with occasional appearances at North American salerooms.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Old Master Paintings
- Old Master Drawings
Value drivers
- Attribution to Giacomo versus his father Francesco Guardi is a key distinction; works by Francesco generally command higher prices
- Provenance and documented authorship significantly affect value given the family workshop context
- Condition, scale, and quality of execution are material factors given the large volume of works attributed to the Guardi workshop
- Attribution confidence is the single most important value driver: firmly signed works by Giacomo Guardi command significantly more than lots catalogued as 'follower of,' 'attributed to,' or 'workshop of'
- Medium matters: oil paintings of Venetian views generally achieve higher prices than watercolors and drawings, though exceptional watercolors of landmark subjects can approach mid-range oil prices
- Subject and iconography: views of the Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, and other iconic Venetian landmarks tend to outperform less recognizable lagoon or capriccio subjects
Appraisal caveats
- The Guardi family workshop produced a large volume of work; distinguishing Giacomo's hand from Francesco's and from workshop assistants requires specialist connoisseurship.
- 433 auction records in the Appraisily dataset suggest frequent market appearances; individual lot values vary widely based on attribution confidence, size, and condition.
- A significant portion of the lots catalogued under Giacomo Guardi carry attribution qualifiers ('Nachfolge,' 'zugeschrieben,' 'taste of,' 'circle of') rather than firm authorship, which means the dataset mixes confirmed works with workshop and follower material.
- The Appraisily dataset includes 269 lots but only 182 have documented realized prices; unsold lots and buy-ins are not always distinguishable from lots where the price was simply not recorded.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History 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 Giacomo Guardi 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 Giacomo Guardi artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.