# George Vicat Cole artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/george-vicat-cole/
Profile generated: 2026-05-13T06:58:23.573Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1893-04-06
- Nationality: English, British
- Movements: Victorian landscape painting
- Common media: Oil on canvas

## About George Vicat Cole

George Vicat Cole (1833–1893) was an English painter born in Portsmouth and active in London during the height of the Victorian era. Best known for his landscape paintings, Cole produced accomplished views of the Surrey and Sussex countryside, often featuring cattle, rivers, and pastoral woodland scenes. He also painted marine subjects and genre pictures, reflecting the breadth of the Victorian landscape tradition. His work is held in the Tate collection, and he is documented in major reference works including Bénézit and the Dictionary of British Artists. Cole's paintings of the Arun valley, the countryside around Abinger and Dorking, and atmospheric sunset compositions are among his most recognisable subjects. With over 370 works recorded in auction databases, his paintings appear regularly on the British and international art market, making him a familiar name for collectors of Victorian landscape art.

## Common works and media

Cole's most commonly encountered works are oil-on-canvas landscape paintings depicting the English countryside. Frequent subjects include cattle beside streams and rivers, woodland paths, views of the Arun valley in West Sussex, the hills around Abinger near Dorking, and coastal or marine scenes. Pastoral compositions with warm sunset or morning light are characteristic. Smaller cabinet-sized landscapes, sketch studies, and occasional genre pictures also appear. Works on paper are less common. His paintings typically range from modest cabinet pieces to larger exhibition-scale canvases.

## Market and appraisal context

George Vicat Cole's works appear consistently in auctions of Victorian and British paintings, with over 370 recorded lots. Collectors most frequently encounter his oil-on-canvas landscapes — particularly pastoral river scenes with cattle, views of Surrey and Sussex, and atmospheric sunset compositions. Value is influenced by size, condition, provenance, and the level of finish; larger exhibition-grade landscapes tend to be more sought after than smaller studies or sketches. Attribution should be verified against documented works in the Tate collection and standard reference entries. As with many Victorian landscape painters, market interest can vary with broader trends in British art collecting. Consulting recent comparable auction results is essential for an informed appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from the Tate, RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, and VIAF authority files with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots drawn from the Appraisily and Invaluable databases when those records are available. Bibliographic references include Bénézit, Johnson/Greutzner's Dictionary of British Artists, and the Witt Checklist.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/17614
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/george-vicat-cole-99
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/9375945/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500002315
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5545492
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Vicat_Cole