Gottfried Kneller Auction Prices and Value Guide

Gottfried Kneller auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 740 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Gottfried Kneller auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Gottfried Kneller
Source records
740
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Gottfried Kneller

Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 1646–1723) was a German-born painter who became the dominant portraitist in England during the late Stuart and early Georgian eras. Born in the Free City of Lübeck, he trained on the continent before establishing himself in London, where he served as court painter to every English and British monarch from Charles II through George I. His sitters ranged from royalty and aristocracy to leading intellectuals of his age, including Isaac Newton, and foreign heads of state such as Louis XIV of France. Kneller is credited with popularizing the kit-cat portrait format, producing more than forty such portraits of members of the politically influential Kit-Cat Club. He was also commissioned by William III to paint the series known as the Hampton Court Beauties, complementing a similar series by his predecessor Peter Lely. Knighted and later made a baronet, Kneller's prolific output shaped the visual record of Britain's ruling class for over four decades.

Baroque portraitureoil on canvasengravingdrawingminiature paintingportraits of royalty and aristocracyportraits of scientists and intellectualscourt beautiesforeign dignitaries and visitors

Common works and media

Kneller's most commonly encountered works are oil-on-canvas portraits in standard formats: the distinctive kit-cat size (approximately 36 × 28 inches showing head, hands, and one hand on a sword or garment), three-quarter-length, and full-length compositions. Sitters are typically English or British aristocrats, monarchs, politicians, military figures, and intellectuals of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Drawings, portrait miniatures, and engravings after Kneller's compositions also appear on the market. Named series include the Kit-cat Club portraits and the Hampton Court Beauties.

Market and appraisal context

Godfrey Kneller maintains an active and broad auction presence, with 67 lots recorded in the Appraisily auction dataset spanning from 1997 to early 2026 and 36 of those carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide but concentrated at accessible levels: the minimum recorded price is $25, the 25th percentile is $475, the median is $1,000, the 75th percentile is $3,000, and the maximum is $17,859. Liquidity has increased recently, with 9 lots appearing in the most recent 12-month window versus 6 in the prior 12 months, indicating sustained and growing auction interest. Kneller works appear across a diverse set of international houses including Christie's, Freeman's, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, Wannenes Art Auctions, Bonino, Osenat, and Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, confirming genuinely global demand across continental European, British, and North American Old Master sales. The majority of recent lots are portraits—oil on canvas, typically three-quarter or kit-cat format—with sitters ranging from unidentified ladies to named aristocrats such as Lady Diana de Vere, Duchess of Portsmouth, and Elizabeth Whitmore. A significant portion of lots carry qualifying attributions such as 'attributed to,' 'after,' 'entourage de,' 'zugeschrieben,' or 'cerchia di' (circle of), reflecting the well-documented challenge of distinguishing autograph Kneller works from his large workshop output and later copies.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Old Master paintings
  • oil on canvas portraits
  • engraving
  • drawing
  • miniature painting

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • The large volume of Kneller-attributed works at auction (740+ recorded lots in the Appraisily dataset) means condition, attribution confidence, and sitter identification are critical to appraisal accuracy.
  • Many Kneller works exist in multiple versions or studio copies; authentication may require expert connoisseurship or provenance research beyond standard catalogue examination.
  • No specific realized prices or recent auction records are included in this research; appraisal should reference current comparable sales data.
  • Of 67 recorded lots, only 36 carry realized prices; the remaining lots may be unsold, withdrawn, or have unreported results, which means the actual sell-through rate and market liquidity are less certain than the raw counts suggest.

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 Gottfried Kneller

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Gottfried Kneller 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 Gottfried Kneller artwork?

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