Robert John Thornton Auction Prices and Value Guide

Robert John Thornton auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 720 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Robert John Thornton auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Robert John Thornton
Source records
720
Market update
2026-02-16

Robert John Thornton market snapshot

Robert John Thornton shows solid auction liquidity with 121 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $882. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 2 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2026-01-22.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (58.0% · 58 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (37.0% · 37 sales)
  • $10,000+ (5.0% · 5 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$600
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
2
Median shift vs prior year
+20.0%
Latest recorded sale
2026-01-22

Artist context

About Robert John Thornton

Robert John Thornton portrait
John Russell (1745-1806) and Francesco Bartolozzi (1725-1815) · Public domain · Source

Born

1768

Died

1837

Nationality

British

Robert John Thornton (1768–1837) was a British botanist, physician, and botanical writer associated with ambitious botanical publishing. He is noted for A New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus Von Linnæus, issued from 1797 to 1807, and The British Flora of 1812. His historical context lies at the intersection of botanical study, Linnaean classification, book production, and visual culture rather than a conventional modern studio practice. Collectors may therefore encounter Thornton’s name in catalogues for botanical books, plates, prints, and other publication-related material. Careful entity matching is important because a catalogue may associate a work with Thornton as its author or publishing figure while separately identifying an artist or engraver. Authority records from Wikidata, Getty ULAN, and other institutional databases point to the same eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British figure. Exact titles, dates, formats, and contributor statements remain essential when identifying objects offered under his name.

Botanical publicationsIllustrated natural-history books and publication-related printsBotanyLinnaean plant classification

Common works and media

The collected sources connect Thornton chiefly with botanical literature, especially A New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus Von Linnæus and The British Flora. Objects encountered in appraisal contexts may be catalogued as botanical books, illustrated publications, individual botanical plates, or publication-related prints. Cataloguers should record the precise title, date, format, edition information, and all named contributor roles rather than assuming that every image associated with a Thornton publication was personally made by him.

Market and appraisal context

Thornton-related material should be assessed at the object level rather than valued from the name alone. An appraisal should establish whether the item is a complete publication, an individual plate, or later publication-related material, then document its exact title, date, format, stated contributors, edition or issue information, completeness, condition, and provenance. Comparisons are most useful when public auction lots share the same bibliographic identity and object format. Appraisily records indicate auction activity under Thornton’s name, but this source pack does not expose lot-level descriptions or realized-price history. This profile therefore makes no claim about price direction, scarcity, or record values.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Botanical books and illustrated botanical publications
  • Publication-related botanical plates and prints catalogued under Thornton's name

Value drivers

  1. Exact publication title, date, format, and stated contributor roles
  2. Whether the object is a complete publication, a separately catalogued plate, or later publication-related material
  3. Comparison with public auction records sharing the same bibliographic identity and object format

Appraisal caveats

  • The source pack supplies an Appraisily auction-record signal but no extracted lot descriptions, realized prices, edition details, or condition reports.
  • No price trend, scarcity, record-price, or investment claim can be supported from the collected material.
  • Thornton is documented principally as a botanist, physician, and botanical writer; attribution of an individual image should preserve any separately named artist or engraver recorded for that object.

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context is based on collected public records: medium confidence, adequate source quality.

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 John Thornton

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Robert John Thornton 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 John Thornton artwork?

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