John Duncan Fergusson Auction Prices and Value Guide

John Duncan Fergusson auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 841 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

John Duncan Fergusson auction prices: quick answer

John Duncan Fergusson auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
John Duncan Fergusson
Source records
841
Market update
2026-02-06

John Duncan Fergusson market snapshot

John Duncan Fergusson shows deep auction liquidity with 195 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $5,040. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 0 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2024-10-17.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (6.7% · 9 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (57.5% · 77 sales)
  • $10,000+ (35.8% · 48 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$0
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
0
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2024-10-17

Artist context

About John Duncan Fergusson

John Duncan Fergusson (1874–1961) was a Scottish painter and sculptor, widely recognized as one of the leading figures of the Scottish Colourists. Born in Leith, Edinburgh on 9 March 1874, Fergusson was largely self-taught and began his career around 1894. He spent formative periods in Paris from 1907 onward, absorbing Post-Impressionist and Fauvist ideas that shaped his distinctive bold color and expressive form. Alongside Samuel Peploe, Francis Cadell, and Leslie Hunter, Fergusson formed the core of the Scottish Colourist group, which brought Continental modernism into Scottish painting. His output spanned oils, watercolor, sculpture, etching, and illustration. He divided his career between France and Scotland for decades, with extended stays in Paris, the south of France, and Edinburgh, before settling in Glasgow where he died on 30 January 1961. His work is held in major UK public collections including the Tate.

Scottish Colouristsoil paintingsculptureetchingwatercolor and drawinglandscapesfemale figures and portraitsstill lifeFrench coastal and Mediterranean scenes

Common works and media

Fergusson's most commonly encountered works at auction are oil paintings, especially landscapes, coastal scenes, female portraits and nudes, and still lifes. He also produced sculpture, etchings, and works on paper including drawings and watercolors. Illustration and graphic design work forms a smaller part of his output. Subjects frequently reflect his time in Paris, the Mediterranean coast, and the Scottish countryside. Smaller studies and sketches appear occasionally and can offer collectors accessible entry points.

Market and appraisal context

John Duncan Fergusson has a well-established auction footprint spanning 237 recorded lots and 167 priced results between 1999 and late 2024. The market is anchored by Christie's, where the artist's top prices are consistently achieved, including £1,074,000 for the wartime oil 'Submarines and Camouflaged Battleship' (March 2023), £412,500 for an untitled work (April 2021), and £75,000 each for 'Luxembourg Gardens, Evening' (October 2021) and 'Villa Gotte Plage' (January 2020). Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Lyon & Turnbull provide additional blue-chip coverage, while regional UK houses such as Roseberys, McTear's, Ewbank's, and Forum Auctions handle mid-tier and works-on-paper material. The price distribution is wide: the 25th percentile sits at £2,500, the median at £5,000, and the 75th percentile at £27,500, indicating a stratified market where period, subject, scale, and medium drive substantial price separation. Works on paper and smaller studies trade in the low hundreds to low thousands, while important Paris-period and inter-war oils command five and six figures. Recent liquidity is thin, however, with no recorded priced lots in the most recent 12 months and only one in the preceding 12 months, suggesting that institutional-quality material appears selectively rather than in steady supply.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • watercolor and drawing
  • sculpture
  • etching
  • illustration and graphic art

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • Market interest in Scottish Colourists has grown, but prices vary significantly by period, medium, and subject.
  • Over 840 auction records exist for this artist, indicating a well-established but segment-specific market rather than broad speculative demand.
  • No specific price ranges or trend claims are made here; consult current auction databases for realized prices.
  • The most recent 12 months show zero priced auction results in the Appraisily index, and the preceding 12 months show only one. Short-term trend observations are therefore unreliable; appraisals should draw on the full 25-year record.

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 John Duncan Fergusson

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is John Duncan Fergusson 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 John Duncan Fergusson artwork?

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