Robin Philipson Auction Prices and Value Guide

Robin Philipson auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 687 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Robin Philipson auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Robin Philipson
Source records
687
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Robin Philipson

Sir Robin Philipson (1916–1992) was an English-born painter who became one of the most influential figures in Scottish art during the second half of the twentieth century. Born in Broughton-in-Furness, he settled in Scotland and built a career spanning over three decades as a central presence in the Edinburgh art world. Philipson served as President of the Royal Scottish Academy and was a member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), receiving a knighthood for his contributions. His paintings are recognised for their bold use of colour and expressive figurative style, encompassing landscapes, still lifes, religious subjects, and his celebrated cockfighting series. His work is held in public collections and appears regularly at major UK auction houses.

Scottish figurative paintingoil paintingwatercolourlandscapesstill lifereligious and altar subjectscockfighting and animal subjects

Common works and media

Philipson is best known for oil paintings, including large-scale figurative canvases, landscapes, still lifes, and church and altar commissions. His cockfighting series and religious subjects such as altar paintings are well documented. Watercolours and works on paper also appear. Collectors may encounter works titled after specific subjects—such as still-life compositions, Edinburgh cityscapes, and animal scenes—across UK and international auction catalogues.

Market and appraisal context

Robin Philipson's work has a well-established UK and international auction presence, with 19 recorded lots in the Appraisily index spanning 2002 to 2023 and 12 with realised prices. Major houses handling his work include Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Dreweatts 1759, and Mallams in the UK, alongside DuMouchelles and Litchfield Auctions (US), MBA Seattle Auction LLC (US), Strauss & Co and Stephan Welz & Co (South Africa). The price distribution is wide: the lowest priced lot sold for £42 (Dreweatts 1759, 2007, a work titled 'Peasant Colour'), while the highest reached £12,500 at Christie's in 2008 for 'Triad'. The median is approximately £1,050. Multiple Christie's results cluster between £5,000 and £6,875, showing that strong figurative oils achieve significantly higher prices than watercolours or smaller works. The market is primarily denominated in GBP, with occasional USD and ZAR results. No lots were recorded in the most recent 12-month period, which may indicate thin current liquidity or incomplete recent indexing rather than absence of demand.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • watercolour
  • mixed media
  • works on paper

Value drivers

  1. Medium and support: oil on canvas works are most commonly encountered at auction
  2. Subject matter: cockfighting scenes, landscape compositions, and religious-themed works are known Philipson subjects
  3. Provenance and exhibition history: association with the Edinburgh School and Royal Scottish Academy exhibitions may add context
  4. Attribution and signature: works are typically signed; verification against known catalogues is recommended
  5. Medium: oil on canvas works command substantially higher prices than watercolours and works on paper in this artist's auction record
  6. Subject: cockfighting scenes and figurative compositions with nudes achieve top-tier results; still lifes and landscapes fall in the middle range

Appraisal caveats

  • Market data is drawn from public auction catalogues and authority records; no specific price trends are claimed.
  • The 687 auction records referenced in the Invaluable scraper indicate significant market presence, but individual lot results should be consulted for current estimates.
  • Condition, provenance, and exhibition history should be assessed on a per-work basis.
  • The Appraisily auction-record sample contains 19 lots; the broader Invaluable index cites approximately 687 lots. The priced subset (12 lots) may not fully represent the artist's complete market range.

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 Robin Philipson

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Robin Philipson 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 Robin Philipson artwork?

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