Manuel Robbe Auction Prices and Value Guide

Manuel Robbe auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 769 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Manuel Robbe auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Manuel Robbe
Source records
769
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Manuel Robbe

Manuel Robbe (1872–1936), born Emmanuel Robbe, was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator recognized for his mastery of color aquatint and the à la poupée etching technique. Trained at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Robbe became a leading figure in the Belle Époque revival of multi-plate color printmaking. His prints were published in influential periodicals including Les Maîtres de l'Affiche, L'Estampe Moderne, and Cocorico, and he exhibited at the Société des Artistes Français and the 1900 Paris Exposition, where he received a bronze medal. During the First World War he served in the French military and was awarded the Croix de guerre. Works by Robbe are held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and his identity is recorded in the Library of Congress, VIAF, and RKD authority files.

Belle Époque color printmaking revivalcolor aquatint etchingà la poupée printingoil paintingpastelwomen in domestic and leisure settingsBelle Époque genre scenes

Common works and media

Robbe is best known for color aquatint etchings depicting women in domestic and leisure scenes, a hallmark subject of Belle Époque print culture. He also produced oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, and ink illustrations. Many of his prints were issued as part of editioned portfolios or magazine inserts, so collectors may encounter both signed impressions and unstamped series copies. Smaller format prints from L'Estampe Moderne and similar publications appear frequently in the auction market.

Market and appraisal context

Manuel Robbe has a deep and well-documented secondary market with 409 auction lots recorded in the Appraisily database, of which 253 carry realized prices spanning from November 1996 through April 2026. The price distribution shows a wide but structured range: from $15 at the low end to $6,000 at the high end, with a median of $400 and an interquartile range of $200–$875. The most commonly encountered works are color aquatint etchings depicting women in Belle Époque domestic and leisure scenes, sold predominantly through US regional auction houses including Swann Auction Galleries, Rachel Davis Fine Arts, RoGallery, Greenwich Auction, and Leonard Auction, with occasional French house appearances (Piasa, Ader, Les Andelys Enchères). Notable houses such as Bonhams and Swann Auction Galleries anchor the upper tier of the market. The recent 12-month period shows 16 lots compared to 65 in the prior 12 months, indicating a meaningful decline in auction volume; additionally, many of the most recent lots carry no reported realized price, which may signal elevated buy-in rates or price-withholding by houses. Color aquatint etchings with strong à la poupée inking and signed impressions dominate the middle market ($200–$600), while smaller-format or less distinguished impressions trade in the $30–$200 range. Works in other media—charcoal-and-chalk drawings, drypoints, lithographs—appear occasionally and tend to price at or below the median.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Old Master / 19th Century Prints
  • Works on Paper
  • Color Aquatint Etchings
  • Prints — Belle Époque
  • Drypoint and Etching

Value drivers

  1. Medium and technique: color aquatint etchings are his most sought-after works; à la poupée examples with strong color registration tend to command more interest
  2. Edition and plate size: many of his prints were produced in editioned series for publications such as L'Estampe Moderne; presence of edition numbering or publisher stamps affects value
  3. Condition: paper tone, margins, plate marks, and foxing are standard condition factors for works on paper from this period
  4. Provenance and collection history: works with documented gallery or collector provenance may carry additional premium
  5. Medium: color aquatint etchings with à la poupée inking are the most sought-after; plain etchings, drypoints, and lithographs typically trade lower
  6. Edition and series context: prints from L'Estampe Moderne or Les Maîtres de l'Affiche may lack individual edition numbering but carry publisher dry stamps; independent large-plate editions with pencil-signed impressions command premiums

Appraisal caveats

  • No catalogue raisonné was identified in the source pack; attribution should be confirmed against published scholarship or expert review.
  • Robbe's work appears frequently at auction (769 records in the Appraisily/Invaluable database), suggesting a broadly available market but wide variation in condition, edition, and pricing.
  • The Getty ULAN record was unavailable at research time, so cross-referencing against that authority was not possible.
  • No catalogue raisonné exists for Manuel Robbe; attribution and edition verification rely on specialist knowledge and published scholarship rather than a definitive reference

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 Manuel Robbe

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Manuel Robbe 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 Manuel Robbe artwork?

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