# Fortunino Matania artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/fortunino-matania/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T11:33:24.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1881-04-16
- Nationality: Italian
- Common media: Oil painting, Illustration (pen, ink, watercolor)

## About Fortunino Matania

Fortunino Matania (1881–1963) was an Italian-born illustrator and painter who spent much of his professional career in London. The son of artist Eduardo Matania, he became known for his strikingly realistic depictions of World War I trench warfare and a broad range of historical subjects. Working as an illustrator and war artist, Matania produced work characterized by meticulous detail and dramatic composition, often reconstructing historical events with journalistic immediacy. His illustrations reached wide audiences through major periodical publications. Recognized with the title of Chevalier, Matania is recorded in leading art reference works including Bénézit, Thieme-Becker, and the Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. Collectors today encounter his work across original paintings, drawings, and printed illustrations that document both twentieth-century conflict and earlier historical scenes.

## Common works and media

Common works include original oil paintings of historical and military scenes, pen-and-ink and watercolor illustration drawings prepared for magazine reproduction, printed illustrations from periodicals such as The Sphere and other London-based publications, and reproductive prints of his war and historical compositions. Subjects range from World War I trench warfare and battle scenes to royal ceremonies, ancient history reconstructions, and romanticized historical episodes.

## Market and appraisal context

Matania's work appears at auction primarily as original illustrations, oil paintings, and works on paper. His World War I subjects and historical reconstructions are the most widely recognized categories. Value depends on whether a work is an original painting, an original illustration drawing, or a printed reproduction — the distinction is critical for appraisal. Provenance linking a work to a specific publication or commission can strengthen attribution. Condition is an important factor, especially for works on paper. Collectors should be aware that many reproduced illustrations from periodicals circulate as decorative prints, which carry different value than unique artworks.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Fortunino Matania, identity data is grounded in the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata authority records.

## Sources

- RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/53919
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3078576
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/92141690/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500023369
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87901724
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortunino_Matania