Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux Auction Prices and Value Guide
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,159 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux auction prices: quick answer
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
- Source records
- 1,159
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–1875) was a French sculptor, painter, and engraver who rose to prominence during the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Born in Valenciennes in northern France, Carpeaux trained in Paris and became one of the most celebrated sculptors of his generation, known for dynamic, emotionally charged figurative works that broke with the neoclassical conventions dominant in earlier French academic sculpture. His official commissions for major Parisian monuments cemented his reputation during his lifetime. In addition to sculpture, Carpeaux was active as a painter and printmaker, producing drawings and etchings that reveal a fluid, expressive draftsmanship. His career was cut short by his death in Courbevoie at age 48. Today collectors encounter his work across a wide range of media — from monumental marble groups to small-scale bronze editions, terracotta sketches, paintings, and works on paper — making him a significant presence in the 19th-century European art market.
Second Empire sculpturesculpture (bronze, marble, terracotta)paintingetching and engravingdrawingfigurative sculpture
Common works and media
Collectors are most likely to encounter Carpeaux through bronze sculpture — both lifetime casts and later editions produced by established Parisian foundries — as well as terracotta bozzetti and plaster models related to his major public commissions. Marble portrait busts and figure groups also appear at auction, though less frequently. Beyond sculpture, Carpeaux produced oil paintings, ink and chalk drawings, and etchings, many of them figurative studies. Reduced-scale reproductions of his well-known monumental groups circulate widely in bronze. Posthumous editions and works attributed to his workshop or circle require careful cataloguing to distinguish from autograph pieces.
Market and appraisal context
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux maintains a deep and active secondary market with 575 recorded auction lots dating from 1994 to April 2026, of which 368 carry price results. The price distribution is wide: observed results range from approximately €80 at the low end to €283,500 at the high end, with a median of €3,800 and a 75th percentile near €11,700. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media and attribution levels that circulate — from small later-cast bronzes and after-the-artist terracotta busts selling under €1,000, to autograph terracotta sketches and important original models commanding five-figure results. Auction liquidity is strong and stable, with 67 lots offered in the most recent 12-month period compared to 61 in the prior year, indicating consistent demand. The market is anchored by premier houses: Sotheby's and Christie's handle top-tier material, while a robust mid-market operates through Parisian and regional French houses — notably Artcurial, Crait-Muller, Tajan, Piasa, and Osenat — alongside Leclere, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, and HVMC in Monte-Carlo. Crait-Muller alone has offered over a dozen Carpeaux lots in recent seasons, many carrying detailed catalogue notes on model numbers and foundry marks, suggesting specialist familiarity. Recent standout results include a terracotta esquisse of Le Chinois achieving €30,000 at Crait-Muller (May 2025), Suzanne surprise at €22,000 at the same house (November 2025), and a Sotheby's lot reaching $33,600 (February 2025), illustrating that original models and rare terracotta sketches can far exceed the general median.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- bronze sculpture
- marble sculpture
- terracotta sculpture
- plaster models and bozzetti
- painting
Value drivers
- [object Object]
Appraisal caveats
- The source pack does not include specific auction records or price data; valuation guidance is general and should be supplemented by comparable sale results.
- Edition size, foundry, and cast date are critical for bronze valuation but are not established from these sources.
- Price data spans multiple currencies (EUR, USD, GBP). All comparisons should account for exchange-rate context at the time of sale.
- Many lots in the record lack detailed medium, dimensions, or edition information in their titles, limiting the precision of comparable-group filtering without reviewing individual catalogue entries.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- VIAF library authority
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History) library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
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 Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux 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 Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.