Samuel John Lamorna Birch Auction Prices and Value Guide

Samuel John Lamorna Birch auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 955 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Samuel John Lamorna Birch auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Samuel John Lamorna Birch
Source records
955
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Samuel John Lamorna Birch

Samuel John "Lamorna" Birch (1869–1955) was a British painter celebrated for his luminous landscapes and coastal scenes of Cornwall. Born in Egremont, Merseyside, he settled in the Lamorna Valley in west Cornwall and became a central figure in the later phase of the Newlyn School of artists. At the suggestion of Stanhope Forbes, a leading Newlyn painter, Birch adopted the name "Lamorna" to distinguish himself from another artist working locally. Elected both a Royal Academician (RA) and a member of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS), Birch exhibited widely and is represented in major public collections including the Tate. His work spans oils and watercolours, with a particular focus on the Cornish countryside, rivers, and coastline that gave him his artistic identity.

Newlyn Schooloil paintingwatercolourCornish landscapescoastal scenesrural and riverside landscapes

Common works and media

Collectors most frequently encounter Lamorna Birch's oil paintings and watercolours depicting Cornish landscapes, river scenes, woodland interiors, and coastal views. Riverside and harbour subjects are also known from his broader travels in Britain and France. Works range from small cabinet-scale panel paintings to larger exhibition-size canvases. Signed watercolours and drawings appear regularly at regional and London salerooms.

Market and appraisal context

Samuel John Lamorna Birch has a well-established and liquid secondary market spanning over 24 years, with 246 recorded auction lots and 162 priced results between January 2001 and December 2025. Works appear consistently at both major international houses (Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams) and respected UK regional salerooms (Gorringes, John Nicholson's, Mallams, Dreweatts 1759, Bellmans, Cheffins). The price distribution is wide: realised prices range from £55 for minor watercolours at regional salerooms to £25,200 for significant oil paintings. The interquartile spread (£320–£2,200) and median of £750 indicate an active mid-market where modest watercolours and small works trade below £300, while accomplished oils of signature Cornish subjects regularly achieve £1,400–£2,800 at houses such as Gorringes and Roseberys. Auction liquidity is moderate in recent years (2 lots in the trailing 12 months, 3 in the prior 12 months), reflecting the artist's settled market position rather than a decline—works surface steadily rather than in bursts. Multi-currency results (GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, AUD) confirm international collector interest beyond the UK.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • watercolour

Value drivers

  1. Medium: oil paintings generally command higher prices than watercolours or works on paper
  2. Subject: Lamorna Valley and Cornish coastal scenes are most sought after
  3. Provenance and exhibition history affect value; RA and RWS credentials support attribution confidence
  4. Condition, size, and date of execution are standard valuation considerations for works of this period
  5. Medium: oil paintings consistently achieve higher prices than watercolours; recent oils at Gorringes realised £1,400–£2,800 GBP while watercolours at the same period typically traded below £550 GBP
  6. Subject: Lamorna Valley, Cornish coastal, and harbour scenes are the most sought-after subjects; non-Cornish British landscapes (Perthshire, Devonshire) trade at moderate levels

Appraisal caveats

  • Market data in this summary is inferred from the artist's profile, medium, and institutional recognition. Specific price ranges require review of comparable auction records.
  • Price data is drawn from Appraisily's auction-record index (162 priced lots out of 246 total); unsold lots and buy-in results are excluded, which may inflate observed price levels.
  • Results span multiple currencies and 24 years; nominal prices are not inflation-adjusted and direct currency comparison requires normalisation.
  • The maximum recorded price (£25,200) is an outlier well above the P75 (£2,200) and may represent a large, exceptional, or well-provenanced oil; median and IQR are more representative of typical trading levels.

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 Samuel John Lamorna Birch

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Samuel John Lamorna Birch 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 Samuel John Lamorna Birch artwork?

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