# Jakob Smits artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/jakob-smits/
Profile generated: 2026-05-09T19:20:33.953Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1855-07-09
- Death date: 1928-02-15
- Nationality: Dutch, Belgian
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, etching, drawing, sculpture

## About Jakob Smits

Jakob Smits (1855–1928) was a Dutch-born painter, watercolorist, etcher, sculptor, and draftsman who spent much of his career in Belgium and became a Belgian citizen in 1902. Born Jacobus Johannes Smits in Rotterdam on July 9, 1855, he trained and worked as a decorative painter of interiors before establishing himself as a versatile fine artist across multiple media. He is recorded in the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History as active in the Antwerp area, and he died in Mol, Belgium, on February 15, 1928. Smits's work spans oil painting, watercolor, etching, and drawing, with interior scenes forming a notable part of his documented output. His dual Dutch-Belgian identity and sustained presence in Belgian art circles make his work relevant to collectors of both Netherlandish and Belgian art from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

## Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Smits's oil paintings on panel or canvas depicting interior scenes, as well as watercolors, etchings, and drawings in a range of subjects. Decorative interior paintings are a documented specialty. Works on paper—including prints and preparatory drawings—represent a significant portion of his known output. Sculpture is also attributed to him, though less frequently seen at auction.

## Market and appraisal context

Jakob Smits's works appear regularly in the auction market, with over 480 records documented. His oil paintings, watercolors, etchings, and drawings surface across Old Master, 19th-century, and Works on Paper sale categories. Key factors affecting appraisal include the specific medium, subject matter (particularly interior scenes), condition, provenance, and whether the work can be confirmed through RKD cataloguing or comparable institutional records. Attribution should be verified carefully, as the name variant "Jacob Smits" appears in several authority files and may lead to cataloguing inconsistencies.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and institutional records with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Jakob Smits, identity data is grounded in the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, and the Library of Congress Name Authority File.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/73558
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88606766
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/5087835/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500120627
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3157590