# Charles Lock Eastlake artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/charles-lock-eastlake/
Profile generated: 2026-05-12T18:22:16.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1793-11-17
- Death date: 1865-12-24
- Nationality: British
- Movements: British Academic painting, 19th-century European painting
- Common media: Oil painting

## About Charles Lock Eastlake

Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (1793–1865) was a British painter, art historian, collector, and institutional leader who shaped the 19th-century British art world. Born in Plymouth, he trained in London and spent formative years in Italy, where Italian Renaissance art and continental painting traditions deeply influenced his style. He became the first Director of the National Gallery in London after previously serving as its Keeper, and from 1850 until his death in 1865 he served as President of the Royal Academy. Eastlake also wrote influential works on painting technique and connoisseurship. He married the artist and writer Elizabeth Rigby in 1849. His paintings, often genre scenes and Italianate subjects, are held in major public collections including the Tate. Collectors encountering his work should note that he is distinct from his cousin Charles Locke Eastlake (1833–1906), also a painter and National Gallery figure.

## Common works and media

Eastlake's most commonly encountered works at auction are oil paintings, including genre scenes, Italianate landscapes, religious compositions, and historical subjects. Smaller cabinet paintings and studies also appear. Works on paper and drawings by Eastlake are less frequent but do surface. Collectors should verify that any attribution refers to Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (1793–1865) rather than his cousin of a similar name.

## Market and appraisal context

Charles Lock Eastlake's works appear regularly at auction, particularly oil paintings of genre scenes, Italianate landscapes, and religious or historical subjects. His institutional stature as National Gallery Director and Royal Academy President adds historical significance that can influence collector interest. Appraisal of an Eastlake painting should consider attribution accuracy, as confusion with his cousin Charles Locke Eastlake (1833–1906) is common. Condition, provenance, subject matter, date of execution, and comparable public auction records are the primary factors in evaluating his work. With over 400 tracked auction lots, there is meaningful market data to support comparative analysis.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum records and library authority files with auction-house records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, sources include the Tate collection, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, and VIAF, alongside the auction records that inform market context.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/25321
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1065352
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lock_Eastlake
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-charles-lock-eastlake-166
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500115648
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/61676654/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50024415