Stanhope Forbes Auction Prices and Value Guide

Stanhope Forbes auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 299 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Stanhope Forbes auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Stanhope Forbes
Source records
299
Market update
2026-02-06

Stanhope Forbes market snapshot

Stanhope Forbes shows thin auction liquidity with 7 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $4,800. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 0 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2018-01-20.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (0.0% · 0 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (100.0% · 2 sales)
  • $10,000+ (0.0% · 0 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$0
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
0
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2018-01-20

Artist context

About Stanhope Forbes

Stanhope Alexander Forbes (1857–1947) was a painter and the principal founding member of the Newlyn School, an artist colony that established itself in the fishing village of Newlyn, Cornwall, during the 1880s. Born in Dublin, Forbes studied at the Royal Hibernian Academy before continuing his training in London and in France, where he adopted plein-air techniques that became central to his practice. He settled in Newlyn in 1884 and quickly attracted other painters who shared his commitment to depicting rural and coastal life with naturalistic fidelity and careful attention to light. His painting The Health of the Bride (1889) was purchased for the Chantrey Bequest and entered the Tate collection, cementing his reputation. Elected a Royal Academician in 1910, Forbes remained an active and influential figure in Cornish art for over six decades. He is widely known as the father of the Newlyn School.

Newlyn SchoolBritish ImpressionismPlein-air paintingoil paintingwatercolorfishing communitiesharbor and coastal scenesrural genre scenesCornish landscapes

Common works and media

Forbes worked primarily in oil on canvas, producing genre scenes, portraits, and landscapes centered on Cornish fishing communities. Common subjects include fishermen mending nets, harbor activity, village celebrations, domestic interiors, and coastal panoramas. He also produced watercolors, pencil drawings, and occasional etchings. Larger exhibition-scale oils from the 1880s through the early 1900s represent the most frequently encountered category at auction.

Market and appraisal context

Forbes's oil paintings appear regularly at British and international auctions, with large-scale Cornish fishing scenes, harbor views, and genre compositions attracting the strongest interest. Works from his most productive period in the 1880s and 1890s, particularly those with Royal Academy exhibition histories, tend to command higher prices. Provenance clarity, canvas condition, and subject recognition are key valuation factors. Attribution should be verified carefully, as Newlyn School works are occasionally misattributed among colony members. Watercolors and preparatory sketches surface less often but may appear at regional sales.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Value drivers

  1. Large exhibition pieces from the 1880s–1890s tend to be the most sought-after
  2. Provenance and documented exhibition history at the Royal Academy strengthen value
  3. Subject matter: Cornish fishing and harbor scenes are the most recognizable category
  4. Condition and original canvas support affect valuation significantly for 19th-century oils

Appraisal caveats

  • Newlyn School paintings are sometimes misattributed among colony members; attribution should be confirmed through provenance records or expert consultation.
  • Smaller watercolors, drawings, and sketches by Forbes circulate less frequently at auction and may be harder to authenticate without provenance.
  • Market data is based on general auction-house knowledge and the Appraisily Invaluable record count (299 works); no specific realized prices are cited here.

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 Stanhope Forbes

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Stanhope Forbes 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 Stanhope Forbes artwork?

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