# Constantin Guys artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/constantin-guys/ Profile generated: 2026-05-05T06:56:42.589Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Death date: 1892-03-13 - Nationality: Dutch, French - Movements: 19th-century reportage illustration and watercolor painting - Common media: watercolor, drawing, oil painting, illustration (print) ## About Constantin Guys Constantin Guys (1802–1892) was a Dutch-born watercolorist, painter, and illustrator who spent much of his career working for British and French newspapers as a war correspondent and visual reporter. Born in the Netherlands to a French family, Guys traveled widely and became best known for his on-the-spot watercolor drawings of military campaigns, particularly the Crimean War, and of fashionable urban life in Paris and London. His fluid draftsmanship and eye for contemporary detail attracted the attention of leading writers and critics of his era. Today his work is held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History records over 1,600 images attributed to him. Guys occupies a distinctive place in nineteenth-century art as a chronicler of modernity whose reportage drawings bridge journalism and fine-art watercolor painting. ## Common works and media Collectors are most likely to encounter original watercolors and ink wash drawings on paper, often depicting military encampments, cavalry, battle scenes, or fashionable society figures. Gouache works and preparatory sketches also appear. Newspaper and book illustrations reproduced as wood engravings or lithographs after Guys's designs are common in the print market. Oil paintings by Guys are comparatively rare. ## Market and appraisal context Constantin Guys maintains an active and broadly distributed secondary market. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 284 total lots, of which 159 carry recorded prices, spanning from June 1998 through April 2026. The price distribution centers modestly: a median of $508, an interquartile range of $250–$1,200, and a recorded maximum of $6,375. Liquidity is steady—18 lots appeared in the most recent 12 months versus 23 in the prior period—with no dramatic contraction. Major houses including Christie's and Sotheby's appear alongside a wide roster of regional and specialist firms (Artcurial, Aguttes, Tajan, Piasa, Osenat, Roseberys, Sloane Street Auctions, Millon Riviera, Sworders, Van Ham, Waddington's), indicating that works surface regularly across both premium and mid-tier sale rooms in Europe, the UK, and North America. The most recent confirmed sale—€4,000 at Artcurial in March 2026 for an unspecified work—represents the top of the observed range, while typical watercolors and ink drawings cluster between roughly €200 and €800. Lithographs and prints after Guys tend to sell at the lower end and sometimes pass without bids. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Constantin Guys maintains an active and broadly distributed secondary market. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 284 total lots, of which 159 carry recorded prices, spanning from June 1998 through April 2026. The price distribution centers modestly: a median of $508, an interquartile range of $250–$1,200, and a recorded maximum of $6,375. Liquidity is steady—18 lots appeared in the most recent 12 months versus 23 in the prior period—with no dramatic contraction. Major houses including Christie's and Sotheby's appear alongside a wide roster of regional and specialist firms (Artcurial, Aguttes, Tajan, Piasa, Osenat, Roseberys, Sloane Street Auctions, Millon Riviera, Sworders, Van Ham, Waddington's), indicating that works surface regularly across both premium and mid-tier sale rooms in Europe, the UK, and North America. The most recent confirmed sale—€4,000 at Artcurial in March 2026 for an unspecified work—represents the top of the observed range, while typical watercolors and ink drawings cluster between roughly €200 and €800. Lithographs and prints after Guys tend to sell at the lower end and sometimes pass without bids. ### Appraisal notes Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside the physical attributes a client provides: photographs of the work, measured dimensions, medium identification (watercolor, ink wash, gouache, lithograph, or oil), presence and style of signature, condition of the paper support (foxing, tears, fading, acidity), and any documented provenance or exhibition history. Because Guys produced over 1,600 recorded works across a wide quality range—from finished exhibition watercolors to quick newspaper sketches—attribution confidence materially affects value. The RKD's extensive visual records support comparison. Lots catalogued as 'attribué à' (attributed to) appear regularly at French regional houses and typically sell at the lower end or go unsold, while firmly attributed works with clear subject identification (Crimean War scenes, cavalry, Parisian society) command the mid-to-upper range. Edition details apply mainly to lithographs and reproductive prints, which should be distinguished from unique works on paper. ### Valuation factors - Medium: original watercolors and ink-wash drawings command the highest prices; lithographs and reproductive prints trade at significantly lower levels. - Subject matter: Crimean War and military scenes, Parisian society subjects, and equestrian compositions are the most sought-after categories. - Attribution confidence: works catalogued as 'attributed to' sell at a discount to firmly attributed pieces; RKD records and established catalogues should be consulted. - Condition: works on paper from the mid-19th century are vulnerable to foxing, toning, edge damage, and fading; condition reports are essential. - Provenance: documented exhibition or collection history adds measurable value, especially for works traceable to notable 19th-century collectors or publications. - Size and finish: larger, more finished compositions tend to outperform small sketches and preparatory studies. - Signature: signed works command a premium; many newspaper illustrations were unsigned or signed with monograms. - Auction-house tier: results from Christie's and Sotheby's establish higher reference points than regional houses. ### Collector notes ### Market caveats - Of 284 tracked lots, only 159 (56%) carry recorded prices; many lots pass unsold or have unreported results, so the price distribution reflects successful sales only. - Several recent lots at French regional houses (Millon Riviera) are catalogued as 'attribué à' (attributed to), indicating that attribution remains unsettled for a portion of circulating works. - The source pack lacks lot-specific dimensions, medium confirmation, and condition data, so direct per-lot comparability is limited without additional catalogue review. - Prices are reported in mixed currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, CAD) and have not been normalized to a single currency; exchange-rate fluctuations may affect cross-currency comparisons. - Guys's birth year is disputed across major reference works (1802 vs. 1805-12-03); appraisal documents should note which convention they follow. - Reproductive lithographs and wood engravings after Guys's designs circulate widely and may be mistaken for original works; the price distribution above does not separate originals from prints. - Liquidity dipped slightly (18 lots in the most recent 12 months vs. 23 in the prior 12 months), though the sample is small enough that this may not indicate a trend. ### Market evidence sources - undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/constantin-guys/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-le-cabaret-ink-and-wash-drawing-of-parisian-grisettes-19th-c-292-c-5331e8745d - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-122-c-cbe27e6e7b - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-scene-de-maison-close-avec-fille-racolant-26-c-670ff06b5f - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-05-1892-41-c-27bbb15d48 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-french-1802-1892-invitation-to-the-dance-700-c-91d593bc5a - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-french-1802-1892-napoleon-iii-and-officers-on-horseback-522-c-6714e8883f - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-05-1892-mixed-media-lady-in-evening-dress-signed-1352-c-9d7e2f3d5d - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-french-1802-1892-79-c-364a979ab3 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-attribue-a-la-caleche-117-c-fb1486b99b - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-french-1802-1892-a-street-scene-in-the-middle-east-wi-401-c-858434eb2b - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-kurtisane-35-c-aed42fc937 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-76-c-b9145b8849 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-226-c-5e9ec8af4c - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-attribue-a-225-c-4c76dc2332 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-attribue-a-224-c-067aff7c30 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-la-voiture-de-ville-116-c-997499d8d8 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-constantin-guys-1802-1892-attribue-a-le-landeau-115-c-d05465b91a ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine researched artist identity data from museum records, library authority files, and scholarly databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. The information here draws on sources including the Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Museum of Modern Art, and Wikidata. ## Sources - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q662943 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Guys - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500002003 - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/55463100/ - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81024543 - The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/32345 - RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/34775