# Francis Jourdain artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/francis-jourdain/
Profile generated: 2026-05-23T13:33:44.407Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1876-11-02
- Death date: 1958-12-31
- Nationality: French
- Common media: painting, pastel, drawing, ceramics, furniture, interior design

## About Francis Jourdain

Francis Jourdain (1876–1958) was a French painter, furniture designer, interior designer, ceramicist, and decorative artist whose career spanned the late nineteenth through mid-twentieth century. Active across multiple disciplines, Jourdain produced paintings, pastels, and drawings alongside ceramics and furniture, placing him among the versatile French designer-makers of his era. He is recorded as a pastelist, painter, and draftsperson by the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and as a designer, writer, and painter by VIAF. His practice extended into interior design and the broader decorative arts. Beyond his creative output, Jourdain was also a left-wing political activist. His work is held in institutional collections, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he is cataloged by Getty's Union List of Artist Names and the Library of Congress.

## Common works and media

Common works by Francis Jourdain include oil paintings, pastel compositions, and ink or graphite drawings. He also produced ceramic pieces and designed furniture and interiors, so collectors may encounter decorative objects, chairs, tables, and interior fittings attributed to him. Works on paper such as pastels and drawings are documented in the RKD collection. His output does not appear to be edition-based in the print sense; most works are unique paintings, drawings, or one-off decorative pieces.

## Market and appraisal context

Francis Jourdain's work appears at auction across several categories, including paintings, works on paper (pastels and drawings), furniture, and ceramics. Because he practiced in many mediums, the relevant comparable sales depend heavily on the specific work type. Condition, provenance, dating, and whether a piece is a painting, a pastel drawing, or a decorative object are all important valuation factors. Attribution should be confirmed, as Jourdain's multidisciplinary output and collaborative design context can complicate identification. Collectors and appraisers should consult auction records specific to the work's category and medium.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Francis Jourdain, this page draws on authority files from Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Wikidata, and the Library of Congress, as well as biographical reference from Wikipedia.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/42979
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/93288644/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500017315
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3081520
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Jourdain
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n89623815
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/41481