# Henri Fantin-Latour artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/henri-fantin-latour/
Profile generated: 2026-05-02T20:31:26.174Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1836-01-14
- Death date: 1904-08-25
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Realism, Symbolism
- Common media: oil painting, lithography, pastel, drawing

## About Henri Fantin-Latour

Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904) was a French painter and lithographer renowned for two distinct bodies of work: luminous still-life paintings of flowers and fruit, and ambitious group portraits that documented the leading artists and writers of his generation. Born in Grenoble and trained in Paris, he moved between the Realist circles of Gustave Courbet and the emerging Impressionists—Manet, Monet, and Whistler were close associates—yet he maintained an independent path rooted in careful observation and refined technique. In later decades he turned increasingly to lithography, producing imaginative compositions inspired by the music of Wagner, Berlioz, and Schumann that placed him among the precursors of Symbolism. His flower paintings found an especially enthusiastic audience in England during his lifetime, championed by fellow artists and collectors there.

## Common works and media

Oil paintings of flowers and fruit in vases or on tabletops form the largest and most recognizable segment of Fantin-Latour's output. He also produced formal group portraits, individual portraits, and imaginative or mythological scenes in oil. On paper, his work includes original lithographs (many published as suites illustrating musical or literary themes), pastel studies, charcoal drawings, and preparatory sketches. Posthumous and later-state prints of his lithographs appear regularly and should be distinguished from lifetime impressions.

## Market and appraisal context

Henri Fantin-Latour maintains a deep and actively traded secondary market with 531 catalogued auction lots spanning 1993 to April 2026, of which 360 carry recorded prices. His market is anchored by major houses—Christie's and Sotheby's account for the highest-value oil paintings—while Bonhams, Artcurial, Grisebach, and numerous regional houses handle the middle tier and works on paper. The price distribution is exceptionally wide: lithographs and prints cluster between $130 and $600, mid-range oils and figure studies span roughly $3,000 to $20,000, and top-tier flower still lifes in oil have achieved $88,900 (Christie's, Nature morte: fruits, October 2025), $215,900 (Christie's, Grand bouquet de fleurs, November 2025), and HKD 1,408,000 (Sotheby's Hong Kong, Azalées et bruyères, March 2026). The dataset maximum is $1,930,500. Liquidity is moderate: 26 lots appeared in the most recent 12 months versus 44 in the prior period, indicating a slight cooling in frequency but continued demand at the top end for signature flower subjects.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Henri Fantin-Latour maintains a deep and actively traded secondary market with 531 catalogued auction lots spanning 1993 to April 2026, of which 360 carry recorded prices. His market is anchored by major houses—Christie's and Sotheby's account for the highest-value oil paintings—while Bonhams, Artcurial, Grisebach, and numerous regional houses handle the middle tier and works on paper. The price distribution is exceptionally wide: lithographs and prints cluster between $130 and $600, mid-range oils and figure studies span roughly $3,000 to $20,000, and top-tier flower still lifes in oil have achieved $88,900 (Christie's, Nature morte: fruits, October 2025), $215,900 (Christie's, Grand bouquet de fleurs, November 2025), and HKD 1,408,000 (Sotheby's Hong Kong, Azalées et bruyères, March 2026). The dataset maximum is $1,930,500. Liquidity is moderate: 26 lots appeared in the most recent 12 months versus 44 in the prior period, indicating a slight cooling in frequency but continued demand at the top end for signature flower subjects.

### Appraisal notes

An Appraisily appraisal for a Fantin-Latour work would combine the artist's 531-lot auction history with close examination of the specific piece. For oil paintings, the most critical comparables are flower still lifes and group portraits sold at Christie's and Sotheby's within the last three to five years, adjusted for size, composition complexity, condition, and documented provenance. For lithographs and works on paper, the appraisal would weigh edition number, impression quality (lifetime vs. posthumous), paper condition, and whether the print comes from one of the recognized thematic suites (Wagner, Berlioz, Schumann series). Photographs of the work, measured dimensions, medium confirmation, signature and inscription details, and any exhibition or collection history would be cross-referenced against the 360 priced lots to bracket fair market value. The enormous spread between the 25th percentile ($550) and 75th percentile ($93,750) means that medium identification alone can shift the appraisal range by two orders of magnitude.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: oil paintings dominate the upper price tier; lithographs and drawings typically fall below $1,000 unless exceptional provenance or edition status applies
- Subject: flower still lifes command the highest premiums, followed by group portraits, single-figure compositions, and mythological scenes
- Size and complexity: larger, multi-element compositions (elaborate bouquets, group portraits) carry substantially higher values than small studies or single-figure works
- Provenance: documented exhibition history, collector labels, or inclusion in a recognized collection materially supports value, especially for oil paintings
- Attribution: works should be verified against the established catalogue raisonné; RKD holds over 3,390 image records for comparison; the artist's popularity has produced a substantial volume of studio works, copies, and later prints
- Condition: paper works are highly condition-sensitive—foxing, trimming, fading, or later mounting can halve value; oil paintings are assessed for relining, overpainting, and craquelure
- Edition status for prints: lifetime impressions of lithographs are valued well above posthumous or later-state pulls; original lithographic stones (e.g., Freeman's April 2026 lot) are a distinct niche
- Sale venue: Christie's and Sotheby's results anchor the upper market; regional house results for the same medium tend to be lower, reflecting buyer pool and estimate calibration

### Collector notes

- Fantin-Latour's market splits clearly into two tiers. Collectors seeking an entry point can find original lithographs from the artist's recognized series at $130–$600 at houses like Armstrong Fine Art, Forum Auctions, and Grant Zahajko, though condition and impression quality should be checked carefully. For oil paintings, expect to compete at Christie's and Sotheby's where signature flower still lifes regularly achieve five and six figures. The Sotheby's Hong Kong result of HKD 1,408,000 (March 2026) for Azalées et bruyères signals continued international demand for top-tier flower subjects. Sellers of oil flower paintings should ensure professional photography, up-to-date condition reports, and any available provenance documentation before consignment, as these factors directly affect estimate ranges at the major houses. The decline from 44 lots in the prior 12-month period to 26 in the most recent period may reflect market selectivity rather than diminished interest—high-quality oils continue to achieve strong prices.

### Market caveats

- Of the 531 catalogued lots, only 360 carry recorded prices; unsold lots and results pending confirmation are excluded from the price distribution, which may inflate observed medians
- Recent lot titles often lack medium, dimensions, and category classification, making precise category-level price analysis reliant on partial data
- The HKD 1,408,000 Sotheby's Hong Kong result and the EUR-denominated Christie's Paris results require currency conversion for direct USD comparison
- Several recent lots at Hotspot Auctions and RoGallery show no price realised, suggesting they may have been unsold or results not yet reported
- The dataset maximum of $1,930,500 likely represents an exceptional, large-scale oil painting and should not be treated as representative of typical market value
- Attribution of prints should distinguish lifetime impressions from posthumous editions; lot titles do not always make this distinction clear
- The existing profile noted that no major auction-house biographical pages were included in the original source pack; auction-category observations are now substantially grounded in the Appraisily/Invaluable dataset but still lack structured category labels at the lot level

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/henri-fantin-latour/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-la-vierge-au-lapin-d-apres-tiziano-veccellio-dit-titien-1-c-7474d17b2a
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-french-1836-1904-original-lithographic-stone-for-venus-et-l-amour-petite-planche-118-c-2964801d00
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-ariane-lithograph-164-c-739571796e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-130-c-dde8d70a49
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-azalees-et-bruyeres-118-c-121fa03ce3
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-231-c-5a16994007
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-figures-in-an-interior-104-c-ab034e68a0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-72-c-32de379f23
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-70-c-a0afe999ed
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-etude-de-femme-488-c-b3f942d7f3
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-fantin-latour-1836-1904-les-bucoliques-35-c-e214938ae4

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity data from library authorities and museum collections with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For Henri Fantin-Latour, identity and biographical data are grounded in records from the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and museum holdings at MoMA and Tate. Auction and market observations draw on the Appraisily and Invaluable dataset of 978 catalogued lots.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q310715
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Fantin-Latour
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/61556110/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82025255
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/1800
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/henri-fantin-latour-1079
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/27304
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500025754