# Francis Danby artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/francis-danby/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T06:12:50.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1793-11-16
- Death date: 1861-02-10
- Nationality: Irish, British
- Movements: Romanticism, Bristol School
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor

## About Francis Danby

Francis Danby (1793–1861) was an Irish painter associated with the Romantic movement, best known for his dramatic, atmospheric landscapes and imaginative biblical scenes. Born in Wexford, Ireland, Danby developed his distinctive style as the central figure in the Bristol School, an informal group of artists active in southwest England in the 1810s and 1820s. His large-scale, visionary landscapes drew comparisons to the work of John Martin. Danby relocated to London, where his career reached its peak in the 1820s with major exhibition successes at the Royal Academy and the British Institution. Later he spent extended periods in continental Europe before settling in Exmouth, Devon, where he died in 1861. His work is held in major public collections including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

## Common works and media

Danby worked primarily in oil on canvas, producing expansive landscape compositions, dramatic seascapes, and imaginative biblical and historical scenes. He also painted in watercolor and produced preparatory drawings. Typical subjects include panoramic mountain vistas, storm-lit coastal views, pastoral genre scenes, and Old Testament narratives rendered on a monumental scale. Works range from small cabinet paintings to large exhibition-scale canvases measuring several feet across.

## Market and appraisal context

Francis Danby's work appears regularly at auction, with over 200 recorded lots spanning oil paintings, watercolors, and drawings. Large Romantic landscape oils and biblical compositions tend to attract the strongest collector interest. When evaluating a Danby work, provenance, exhibition history, condition (particularly any relining or restoration of early 19th-century canvases), and secure attribution are the primary factors. Works from his productive Bristol and London periods are generally more sought after than later continental pieces. Collectors should note that attribution can be challenging within the broader Bristol School output.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines verified identity data from Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Tate, and Wikidata with public auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot information drawn from the Appraisily database when available.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/19910
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francis-danby-135
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500024662
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/12578296/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q709816
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Danby
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50037773
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/63037