Robert Herdman Auction Prices and Value Guide

Robert Herdman auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 355 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Robert Herdman auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Robert Herdman
Source records
355
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Robert Herdman

Robert Inerarity Herdman (1829–1888) was a Scottish painter celebrated for his portraiture and historical compositions. Born in Rattray and active in Edinburgh, he was elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), signalling the high regard in which his contemporaries held his work. Herdman's historical paintings often depicted pivotal moments in Scottish history, including scenes of the Reformation, while his portraits captured leading figures of Victorian Scotland. He is also remembered for a distinctive series of pastoral genre scenes featuring young women in rural settings, which found a ready audience in the 19th-century art market. With over 350 works documented in auction databases, Herdman remains a recurring presence in sales of Scottish and British 19th-century art.

Victorian-era Scottish paintingOil paintingWatercolourPortraitureHistorical compositionsPastoral and genre scenesScottish history and religious subjects

Common works and media

Herdman worked primarily in oil on canvas, producing formal portraits, large-scale historical compositions, and smaller pastoral genre scenes. His historical subjects include Scottish Reformation episodes such as the conference between Mary, Queen of Scots and John Knox, and conventicle preaching scenes. His portraits range from civic leaders and academics to aristocratic sitters. Watercolours of Italian scenes and rural Scottish life also form part of his output. Collectors may encounter his work across a range of sizes, from intimate cabinet portraits to exhibition-scale historical canvases.

Market and appraisal context

Herdman's works appear regularly in auctions of Scottish and Victorian British paintings. His historical compositions and formal portraits tend to attract stronger interest than smaller genre studies, though the pastoral scenes for which he is known also have a collector following. Key valuation factors include the subject matter (named sitters or notable historical episodes), medium, canvas size, condition, and documented provenance. Works with Royal Scottish Academy exhibition histories or museum attribution may carry additional premium. As with many 19th-century British artists, attribution should be confirmed, as workshop or follower copies occasionally surface in the market.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Value drivers

  1. Provenance and exhibition history at the Royal Scottish Academy affect value
  2. Historical compositions such as Scottish Reformation subjects are among his most recognised works
  3. Portraits of named sitters with documented biographical significance may carry premium interest
  4. Condition, attribution confidence, and medium (oil vs watercolour) affect appraisal outcomes

Appraisal caveats

  • No major auction-house records were available in the source pack; comparable sale data should be verified before valuation
  • RKD lists the artist's school as English, while Wikidata, Wikipedia, and birth/death locations all confirm Scottish origin — this classification discrepancy may appear in auction cataloguing

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 Robert Herdman

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Robert Herdman 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 Robert Herdman artwork?

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