Hubert von Herkomer Auction Prices and Value Guide
Hubert von Herkomer auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 767 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Hubert von Herkomer auction prices: quick answer
Hubert von Herkomer auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Hubert von Herkomer
- Source records
- 767
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Artist context
About Hubert von Herkomer
Sir Hubert von Herkomer (1849–1914) was a Bavarian-born painter, printmaker, filmmaker, and composer who became one of the most prominent Victorian-era artists working in Britain. Born in Waal, Bavaria, his family settled in England during the 1850s. Herkomer first gained wide recognition for socially conscious realist paintings such as Hard Times, which depicted the hardships of rural labourers with an unflinching directness that set him apart from his contemporaries. He later built a formidable reputation as a portraitist, painting many of the leading figures of his day. Beyond painting, Herkomer was a prolific etcher and graphic artist, a pioneer of early British cinema, and a published composer. He was knighted and, in 1899, ennobled by Kaiser Wilhelm II. His work is held by major institutions including Tate and is documented in the RKD and Library of Congress authority files.
Victorian RealismBritish Social Realismoil paintingetchinggraphic artdrawingportraituresocial conditions of the poorrural and labouring life
Common works and media
Herkomer produced oil paintings (portraits and narrative scenes), etchings, graphic prints, drawings, and woodcarvings. His most recognised paintings include Hard Times and a substantial body of commissioned portraits of public figures. Etched plates and engraved illustrations after his designs also appear frequently at auction. Later in life he directed short films and composed music, though these outputs are less commonly encountered in appraisal contexts.
Market and appraisal context
Hubert von Herkomer maintains a consistent but modest presence at auction, with 124 documented lots spanning 2007–2025 across houses in the UK, Continental Europe, and North America. Of those lots, 31 carry a realised price, yielding a price distribution of roughly $10–$15,000 with a median of $175 and an interquartile range of $50–$583. The distribution is right-skewed: the bulk of turnover comes from etchings and graphic works that frequently trade below $100, while identified oil portraits occasionally reach four figures. The strongest recent result is £4,000 for Portrait of Robert Lewis at Dreweatts (February 2025), demonstrating that named-sitter portraits by Herkomer still attract meaningful bidding. A Poster Auctions International result of $11,000 for a 1935 Normandie travel poster likely reflects poster-market collectibility rather than Herkomer's fine-art premiums. Liquidity is thin: only 2 lots appeared in the most recent 12 months compared with 5 in the prior 12 months, suggesting limited but steady supply rather than active demand pressure.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- oil painting
- etching
- drawing
- graphic art
Value drivers
- Provenance and exhibition history significantly affect value for Herkomer portraits
- Oil portraits of identified sitters command higher prices than anonymous subjects
- Etchings and graphic works appear regularly at auction and tend to trade at lower price points
- Condition, size, and subject matter (social-realist scenes vs commissioned portraits) influence price
- Medium is the primary price driver: oil paintings of identified sitters consistently outperform etchings and graphic works, which typically trade below $200
- Sitter identity matters: named portraits (e.g., Portrait of Robert Lewis at £4,000) command substantially more than anonymous or generic subject portraits (e.g., Portrait of a Man at $325)
Appraisal caveats
- No dedicated catalogue raisonné source was available in the collected source pack; attribution should be confirmed against museum records and published scholarship
- Herkomer worked across many media and held dual German-British identity, so works may surface in both UK and Continental European auction contexts
- The artist's early realist paintings are generally regarded as more historically significant than his later commissioned portraits, which may affect relative market interest
- Only 25% of documented lots (31 of 124) carry a realised price, so the full price distribution may differ from what is observed; unsold lots are not distinguished from pre-sale estimates
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
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 Hubert von Herkomer 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 Hubert von Herkomer artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.