# Adolf Schreyer artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/adolf-schreyer/
Profile generated: 2026-05-06T17:46:12.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1828-07-09
- Death date: 1899-07-29
- Nationality: German
- Movements: Düsseldorf school of painting
- Common media: oil painting, drawing

## About Adolf Schreyer

Adolf Schreyer (1828–1899) was a German painter and draftsman best known for his dynamic equestrian and military scenes. Born Christian Adolf Schreyer, he trained in the tradition of the Düsseldorf school of painting, where his curriculum included horseback riding and equine anatomy—a foundation that shaped his lifelong specialization. In 1854 he served as an official war artist with the Austrian army, an experience that gave him direct access to cavalry and battle subjects. He later traveled extensively through the Middle East and North Africa, producing Orientalist compositions that broadened his reputation. Appointed court painter to the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and elected to the academies of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Schreyer enjoyed institutional recognition throughout his career. His paintings are held in major European collections, and his work continues to appear regularly at international auction.

## Common works and media

Schreyer's output spans oil paintings and works on paper. Common subjects include cavalry charges, military encampments, Arab horsemen, and Orientalist genre scenes. His paintings range from large-scale battle compositions to smaller equestrian studies and landscape sketches. Works on paper include preparatory drawings and figure studies, primarily in graphite and ink. Auction records indicate that oil-on-canvas paintings dominate the market for his work, with equestrian and Orientalist themes appearing most frequently.

## Market and appraisal context

Adolf Schreyer maintains an active and well-documented secondary market spanning more than three decades, with 246 recorded auction lots of which 143 carry realized prices. The auction record begins in 1992 and runs through April 2026, indicating sustained and continuous market participation. Sale prices exhibit wide dispersion: the recorded minimum is $10, the 25th percentile is $3,000, the median is $10,158, the 75th percentile reaches $37,500, and the maximum stands at $464,000. This spread reflects the range from smallattributed or follower works and studies to large-scale signed Orientalist oils. Blue-chip houses—Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams—anchor the top of the market, while strong mid-tier representation from Kunsthaus Lempertz, Koller Auctions, and Sloans & Kenyon indicates healthy European and North American demand. Liquidity is moderate: 9 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window (down from 21 in the prior 12 months), suggesting a cooling but still present supply. Recent highlights include an $80,000 result at Albahie (Feb 2026) and a $48,000 sale at Sloans & Kenyon (Mar 2025, "The Chase"), confirming that major signed works continue to achieve five-figure and occasionally six-figure results. Smaller works,attributed pieces, and works on paper routinely trade between $300 and $10,000.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Adolf Schreyer maintains an active and well-documented secondary market spanning more than three decades, with 246 recorded auction lots of which 143 carry realized prices. The auction record begins in 1992 and runs through April 2026, indicating sustained and continuous market participation. Sale prices exhibit wide dispersion: the recorded minimum is $10, the 25th percentile is $3,000, the median is $10,158, the 75th percentile reaches $37,500, and the maximum stands at $464,000. This spread reflects the range from smallattributed or follower works and studies to large-scale signed Orientalist oils. Blue-chip houses—Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams—anchor the top of the market, while strong mid-tier representation from Kunsthaus Lempertz, Koller Auctions, and Sloans & Kenyon indicates healthy European and North American demand. Liquidity is moderate: 9 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window (down from 21 in the prior 12 months), suggesting a cooling but still present supply. Recent highlights include an $80,000 result at Albahie (Feb 2026) and a $48,000 sale at Sloans & Kenyon (Mar 2025, "The Chase"), confirming that major signed works continue to achieve five-figure and occasionally six-figure results. Smaller works,attributed pieces, and works on paper routinely trade between $300 and $10,000.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside physical inspection of the work. Key inputs for a formal appraisal include: high-resolution photographs of the recto, verso, and signature area; documented dimensions and medium (oil on canvas, oil on panel, or work on paper); condition report addressing craquelure, relining, inpainting, and frame condition; provenance history tracing ownership back through galleries or estates; and edition or unique-status confirmation. Comparable lots are selected by matching subject (equestrian, Orientalist, battle, or genre), medium, scale, date range, and attribution confidence. The wide price range ($10–$464,000) means that even minor differences in subject, size, and attribution quality can shift a valuation estimate substantially. Works with full signature, clear provenance, and Orientalist or cavalry subjects should be benchmarked against the p75–max range, whileattributed or follower works align with the p25–median band.

### Valuation factors

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### Collector notes



### Market caveats

- The 12-month lot count declined from 21 to 9, a 57% drop that may reflect market softening, reduced consignments, or normal fluctuation in a small-sample dataset
- Several recent Sloans & Kenyon listings for the same works (The Lion Hunt, The Chase, The Standard Bearer) appeared across multiple sale dates without recorded prices, suggesting they may have been bought-in or withdrawn
- Attribution risk is material: at least one recent lot was explicitly catalogued as 'attributed to' ($300) and another as 'Nachfolge des' (follower, $3,000), confirming that workshop and follower works circulate in the market
- Prices span multiple currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, CAD); currency conversion timing affects cross-comparability of results
- The $464,000 maximum represents a historical high that may not be repeatable; the p75 price of $37,500 is a more realistic benchmark for strong works
- No museum exhibition history or specific institutional holdings were confirmed from the source pack; provenance claims should be independently verified

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/adolf-schreyer/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable / Nadeau's Auction Gallery: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-adolf-schreyer-german-1828-1899-wallachians-with-pack-horses-circa-1870-1880-depicting-a-group-of-wallachian-horsemen-leading-arabian-pack-horses-across-a-rugged-landscape-dominated-by-a-central-rider-in-a-brown-372-c-729d5759ae
- Invaluable / Bonhams: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-adolf-schreyer-german-1828-1899-fleeing-wallachian-horses-30-c-aaa4944be3
- Invaluable / Fine Estate Inc.: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-adolf-schreyer-german-1828-1899-205-c-2c9b2780ec
- Invaluable / Albahie Auction House: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-adolf-schreyer-germany-1828-1899-9-c-8dbf98e31e
- Invaluable / International Auction Gallery: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-oil-on-panel-attributed-to-adolf-schreyer-78-c-c4be9b64a7
- Invaluable / DuMouchelles: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-adolf-schreyer-german-1828-1899-oil-on-canvas-arabian-warriors-on-their-mounts-h-27-w-53-frame-size-h-35-w-61-1010-c-dba49f88ff
- Invaluable / Koller Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-adolf-schreyer-3228-c-e9948aaa9b

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from authority files, museum records, and scholarly sources with auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Adolf Schreyer, biographical data is grounded in RKD, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Library of Congress authority records, supported by Wikidata and Wikipedia. Market observations reference the Appraisily/Invaluable auction dataset of 666 recorded lots.

## Sources

- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/71195
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q364184
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Schreyer
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500024778
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/5204051/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no00031335