# Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/daniel-nikolaus-chodowiecki/
Profile generated: 2026-05-04T20:03:30.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1726-10-16
- Death date: 1801-02-07
- Nationality: German, Polish
- Movements: Enlightenment-era German art; active in Berlin during the transition from Rococo to Neoclassicism
- Common media: etching, painting, miniature painting, engraving, drawing, enamel, illumination

## About Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki (1726–1801) was a German-Polish painter and printmaker of Huguenot and Polish heritage, celebrated above all for his etchings. Born in Gdańsk, he settled in Berlin where he spent nearly his entire career and eventually rose to lead the Berlin Academy of Art. Chodowiecki worked across an unusually broad range of media — etching, engraving, oil painting, miniature painting, drawing, enamel, and manuscript illumination — making him one of the most versatile graphic artists of the German Enlightenment. His narrative etchings, often illustrating contemporary literature and domestic life, were widely circulated and remain the works collectors encounter most often today. The RKD records over a thousand works attributed to him, reflecting both his prolific output and his enduring presence in European print collections.

## Common works and media

Chodowiecki is most frequently encountered in auction and appraisal contexts as etchings and engravings, including narrative series illustrating literary works and scenes of everyday life. Oil paintings, portrait miniatures on vellum or ivory, ink and wash drawings, enamel plaques, and illuminated pages also appear, though far less often. Print series were issued in editions, so collectors should assess whether an impression is a lifetime or posthumous pull and evaluate paper quality and plate tone.

## Market and appraisal context

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki's auction market is active but modest in scale, with 101 recorded lots over two decades (2005–2025) and 46 carrying realized prices. The market is dominated by German and Swiss regional auction houses — Auktionshaus Schwab, Historia Auctionata, Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden, Das Kunst- und Auktionshaus Kastern, Winterberg-Kunst, Hartung-Hartung, Hargesheimer Kunstauktionen Düsseldorf, and Auktionshaus Rotherbaum — with occasional appearances at Christie's, indicating some blue-chip recognition. The price distribution is wide: the interquartile range spans €100–€700 (median €240), with a floor around €10–€80 for individual etchings and small engravings, and a ceiling of €6,000 for premium works (likely paintings, miniatures, or exceptional print groups). Recent 12-month activity (7 lots) has declined from the prior period (16 lots), suggesting thinner current liquidity. Most lots are denominated in EUR, with one CHF observation. Works are overwhelmingly prints — copper engravings and etchings, often in groups or series — consistent with Chodowiecki's prolific output as a graphic artist.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki's auction market is active but modest in scale, with 101 recorded lots over two decades (2005–2025) and 46 carrying realized prices. The market is dominated by German and Swiss regional auction houses — Auktionshaus Schwab, Historia Auctionata, Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden, Das Kunst- und Auktionshaus Kastern, Winterberg-Kunst, Hartung-Hartung, Hargesheimer Kunstauktionen Düsseldorf, and Auktionshaus Rotherbaum — with occasional appearances at Christie's, indicating some blue-chip recognition. The price distribution is wide: the interquartile range spans €100–€700 (median €240), with a floor around €10–€80 for individual etchings and small engravings, and a ceiling of €6,000 for premium works (likely paintings, miniatures, or exceptional print groups). Recent 12-month activity (7 lots) has declined from the prior period (16 lots), suggesting thinner current liquidity. Most lots are denominated in EUR, with one CHF observation. Works are overwhelmingly prints — copper engravings and etchings, often in groups or series — consistent with Chodowiecki's prolific output as a graphic artist.

### Appraisal notes

When appraising a work attributed to Chodowiecki, Appraisily would cross-reference the auction-record index (101 lots, 46 priced) against the specific work's medium, dimensions, signature or plate mark, condition, provenance, and edition details. Etchings and engravings make up the bulk of the recorded market; the appraiser would determine whether a print is a lifetime impression (more desirable) or a later restrike, assess paper quality and plate tone, and compare against the most relevant recent comparables by house, medium, and subject. For unique works — oil paintings, portrait miniatures on vellum or ivory, enamel plaques, or drawings — the comparable pool is thinner and the appraiser would weight condition, attribution certainty, and provenance more heavily, noting that the €6,000 upper bound in the record set likely reflects such unique pieces. Photos of the work, its verso, any inscriptions, and frame or mounting details would be essential to distinguish period impressions from copies.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: etchings and engravings are the most commonly traded and typically the most affordable; oil paintings, miniatures, and drawings are rarer and can reach the upper end of the recorded range
- Impression quality: lifetime pulls on good paper with strong plate tone command more than later restrikes on inferior paper
- Completeness and grouping: bound series or intact illustration sets (e.g., 33 copper engravings) may sell as single lots, affecting per-print value
- Subject matter: narrative and literary-illustration etchings are his most recognized works; portraits and genre scenes also trade actively
- Attribution: many copies and later restrikes circulate; connoisseurship is needed to confirm period impressions
- Condition: foxing, staining, trimming, or laid-down prints reduce value; margins and plate marks are positive indicators
- Provenance: documented collection history, especially from established German or Central European collections, adds value
- Market liquidity: recent activity has thinned (7 lots in the trailing 12 months vs. 16 in the prior period), which can widen bid-ask spreads

### Collector notes

- Chodowiecki etchings and engravings are accessible entry points into 18th-century German graphic art, with individual prints often realizing €70–€330 at German regional houses. Collectors seeking unique works — miniatures, oil paintings, or drawings — should expect to pay substantially more and should insist on clear provenance and attribution. The presence of Christie's among recorded houses signals that higher-quality works can reach an international audience. Be cautious of later restrikes and copies, which are common in Chodowiecki's print oeuvre; a professional appraisal can help distinguish period impressions. The current thinness of supply (7 lots in the last year) may present buying opportunities but also means fewer direct comparables for pricing. Collectors selling should note that German regional houses dominate this market and may yield different results than consignment to a major international house.

### Market caveats

- Of 101 recorded lots, only 46 carry realized prices; conclusions about price distribution rely on less than half the observations
- No auction-category labels are attached to individual lots in the record set; categories are inferred from lot titles and the artist's known mediums
- The maximum recorded price (€6,000) is an outlier relative to the median (€240) and may reflect a unique work or an exceptional group lot; the median is more representative for typical prints
- Recent 12-month lot count (7) is less than half the prior period (16), which may indicate declining market activity or may be a sampling artifact
- Christie's appears among the top houses by frequency but specific Christie's lot details are not available in this source pack; the blue-chip presence should not be overstated
- Lot titles are often truncated in the record set, limiting medium and subject identification for individual lots
- One lot is denominated in CHF (Galerie Moenius, €65 CHF equivalent); all other prices are EUR

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/daniel-nikolaus-chodowiecki/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-daniel-nikolaus-chodowiecki-1726-1801-two-copper-engravings-18th-century-50-c-aab4039a94

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki, identity data is grounded in the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute, and Wikidata.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50038187
- RKD Netherlands Institute: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/16710
- VIAF / OCLC: https://viaf.org/viaf/59092320/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q696720
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Chodowiecki