# Cornelius Krieghoff artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/cornelius-krieghoff/
Profile generated: 2026-05-29T21:19:02.336Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1815-06-19
- Death date: 1872-03-04
- Nationality: Dutch, Canadian, American
- Movements: 19th-century Canadian genre and landscape painting
- Common media: oil on canvas, oil on panel

## About Cornelius Krieghoff

Cornelius Krieghoff (1815–1872) was a Dutch-born painter who became one of the most recognized chroniclers of 19th-century Canadian life. Born in Amsterdam and trained at the Düsseldorf Academy, Krieghoff spent time in New York and served in the United States Army before settling in Quebec City, where he produced the landscape and genre paintings for which he is best known. His vivid winter scenes — depicting sleigh rides, ice fishing, rural habitant life, and the Quebec countryside — were widely sought after during his lifetime and remain iconic within Canadian art history. Krieghoff also studied Old Master painting at the Louvre in Paris, which informed his compositional technique. His work bridges European painting traditions and distinctly North American subject matter, making him a central figure for collectors of early Canadian art.

## Common works and media

Krieghoff is most associated with oil paintings of Canadian winter landscapes, rural habitant scenes, and outdoor recreational subjects such as sleigh rides and ice fishing. He also painted Indigenous subjects, Quebec City views, and genre interiors. Works range from small cabinet paintings to larger exhibition-scale compositions. Many compositions exist in multiple variant versions. Collectors may also encounter works attributed to Krieghoff's circle or followers, which should be distinguished from autograph paintings.

## Market and appraisal context

Krieghoff's paintings appear regularly at major auction houses in Canadian and international art sales. Winter landscapes and multi-figure genre scenes of habitant life typically attract the strongest collector interest. Appraisal of a Krieghoff work depends on confirming attribution — the artist produced multiple variants of popular compositions, and works from his circle or followers surface at auction. Key factors include medium (oil on canvas versus panel), scale, condition, provenance clarity, and whether the work is an autograph prime version. His status as a foundational Canadian artist sustains demand from both institutional and private collectors.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from library authority files and art-historical databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when available. Sources include the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, and public auction results indexed by Appraisily.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/46437
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/41981741/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500009410
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1133777
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Krieghoff
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50045190