# Jean Lurçat artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/jean-lurcat/
Profile generated: 2026-04-30T14:02:32.965Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1892-07-01
- Death date: 1966-01-06
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Contemporary tapestry revival
- Common media: tapestry / textile art, painting, ceramics, lithography, gouache, illustration, monumental art

## About Jean Lurçat

Jean Lurçat (1892–1966) was a French artist widely recognized for transforming 20th-century tapestry from a decorative craft into a major modern art form. Born in Bruyères, Lorraine, he trained as a painter and began his career before World War I, with early travels to Italy that were interrupted by the outbreak of the conflict. After the war he moved between Paris, Berlin, and other European centers, absorbing avant-garde ideas that informed his bold, symbolic visual language. While he continued to paint throughout his life, Lurçat's lasting legacy rests on his tapestry designs — large-scale woven works characterized by vivid color, stylized animals, celestial motifs, and mythological references. He worked closely with French weaving workshops, particularly at Aubusson, to produce monumental wall hangings that now reside in museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was also active as a ceramicist, lithographer, and illustrator.

## Common works and media

Collectors encountering Lurçat's work at auction or in appraisal contexts will most often find large-format woven wool tapestries — many produced in numbered editions by French workshops — depicting stylized animals, sun and moon motifs, and abstracted natural forms. His output also includes oil paintings, gouaches, lithographic prints (often in color), ceramic plates and vessels, and illustrated books. Posters and exhibition prints circulate widely and should be distinguished from original graphic work.

## Market and appraisal context

Jean Lurçat's work trades in a broad but well-established auction market spanning 23 years and 635 recorded lots, with 448 carrying realized prices. Liquidity is steady: 46 lots sold in the most recent 12-month period compared to 44 in the prior 12 months, indicating consistent demand. The price distribution is wide — from €50 for small ceramics and prints to €75,000 for important tapestries — with a median of €1,400 and an interquartile range of €400–€4,300. The market is anchored by major tapestries from his mature post-war period, which command the upper tier. Works are sold predominantly through French and European houses (Tajan, Piasa, Artcurial, Osenat, Ader, Cornette de Saint-Cyr) with regular appearances at Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Koller Auctions. Recent results confirm that large Aubusson tapestries with documented workshop attribution (Tabard Frères et Sœurs, Pinton) and complete provenance continue to realize prices in the €5,000–€16,400 range, while ceramics from the Sant Vicens collaboration typically trade between €100–€650, and lithographs and small works on paper remain accessible under €400.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Jean Lurçat's work trades in a broad but well-established auction market spanning 23 years and 635 recorded lots, with 448 carrying realized prices. Liquidity is steady: 46 lots sold in the most recent 12-month period compared to 44 in the prior 12 months, indicating consistent demand. The price distribution is wide — from €50 for small ceramics and prints to €75,000 for important tapestries — with a median of €1,400 and an interquartile range of €400–€4,300. The market is anchored by major tapestries from his mature post-war period, which command the upper tier. Works are sold predominantly through French and European houses (Tajan, Piasa, Artcurial, Osenat, Ader, Cornette de Saint-Cyr) with regular appearances at Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Koller Auctions. Recent results confirm that large Aubusson tapestries with documented workshop attribution (Tabard Frères et Sœurs, Pinton) and complete provenance continue to realize prices in the €5,000–€16,400 range, while ceramics from the Sant Vicens collaboration typically trade between €100–€650, and lithographs and small works on paper remain accessible under €400.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily uses its auction-record database of 635 Lurçat lots to contextualize each work against realized prices for comparable media, size, and period. For an accurate appraisal, collectors should provide: clear photographs (front, reverse, and any woven or printed marks); dimensions (especially for tapestries, where size is a strong value driver); medium confirmation (woven wool tapestry, oil on canvas, lithograph on paper, ceramic, gouache); signature or woven-mark details; condition report addressing fading, repairs, or restoration (critical for textiles); provenance documentation including gallery receipts, exhibition history, or prior auction records; and edition information (edition number, total edition size, and workshop name for tapestries). Comparable lots from recent auctions — particularly tapestries at Tajan, Bonhams, and Artcurial, and ceramics at Piasa — provide the most relevant pricing benchmarks. Works with full workshop attribution (e.g., 'Atelier Tabard Frères et Sœurs, Aubusson') and documented exhibition history typically command a premium over unattributed or later-edition weavings.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: woven wool tapestries are the primary value driver; a large Aubusson tapestry with full workshop attribution can realize 10–100× the price of a ceramic or lithograph
- Workshop attribution: named workshops (Tabard Frères et Sœurs, Pinton, Gobelins) materially affect value — documented provenance to a recognized atelier commands a premium
- Size and scale: monumental tapestries (over 150 cm in any dimension) consistently outperform smaller format works
- Edition: many tapestries were woven in numbered editions of 1/6 to 6/6; unique cartoons or early proofs carry the highest value; edition number should be verified in the woven marks or on the Aubusson label
- Condition: textile works are vulnerable to fading, moth damage, and structural weakening; professional condition reports and restoration history directly affect appraisal value
- Date and period: post-war mature works (1940s–1960s) represent Lurçat's most sought-after output; earlier paintings and later collaborative ceramics are typically less valuable
- Collaboration vs. solo authorship: ceramics made with Sant Vicens or other ateliers are traded at lower price points than solely attributed tapestries or paintings
- Currency and market: the majority of lots are sold in EUR through French and European houses; USD and GBP results exist but are less common and require currency normalization for comparison

### Collector notes

- Tapestries with full provenance — including the Aubusson manufacturer label, weaver's monogram, and bolduc (authentication tab) — are the most bankable segment of Lurçat's market. Expect to pay €5,000–€16,000+ for documented large-format examples at established houses.
- Ceramics from the Sant Vicens collaboration are an accessible entry point (€100–€650 at auction) but should not be compared to tapestry values when assessing a collection.
- Lithographs and works on paper trade in the €50–€400 range and are widely available; verify authenticity and edition details, as poster reproductions also circulate.
- The market is liquid and consistent — roughly 45 lots per year — so resale is achievable, but realistic pricing depends heavily on medium, size, and condition.
- When buying at French provincial houses, verify that 'd'après un carton de' (after a cartoon by) is correctly distinguished from directly authored works, as this affects value.
- Request condition reports for all textile purchases: fading, prior repairs, and structural integrity are the dominant risk factors for tapestry value.

### Market caveats

- The 635 recorded lots span tapestries, paintings, ceramics, prints, and works on paper; direct price comparison across media is not meaningful without normalizing for medium and size.
- Some works were signed 'Luçat' (without the r), which can complicate catalog searches and attribution verification.
- Ceramics attributed to 'Lurçat & Sant Vicens' are collaborative works and should be valued differently from solely authored pieces.
- Lots described as 'd'après un carton de' (after a cartoon by) are weavings executed by workshops from Lurçat's designs — common and legitimate for tapestries, but the distinction from unique works should be understood.
- Auction results are predominantly in EUR; the USD and GBP results in the record (Bonhams, Roseberys, John Moran) are a minority and may not reflect consistent European-market pricing.
- The Appraisily database lot count (635) differs from the existing profile's stated 1,603 lots; the evidence addendum is based on the current API query of 635 lots with 448 priced results.
- Category labels were not provided by the auction-record API for individual lots; category assignments above are derived from lot titles, existing profile mediums, and observed categories.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/jean-lurcat/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-sant-vicens-visage-surrealiste-163-c-f7fce275d0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-sant-vicens-coq-surrealiste-162-c-0b61ae28f6
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-sant-vicens-triton-161-c-4fcfb6be00
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-modele-jumeaux-160-c-a2012efc83
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-ateliers-sant-vicens-257-c-cac48ada9c
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-422-c-0c14de4841
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-d-apres-un-carton-de-126-c-924441ba8f
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-1892-1966-pitcher-84-c-b944bd3b51
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-lurcat-d-apres-un-carton-de-le-grand-duc-tapisserie-d-aubusson-atelier-tabard-freres-et-soeurs-signe-dans-la-trame-monograme-du-lissier-et-bolduc-en-laine-de-couleursh-150cm-59-1-16in-l-221cm-87in-a-signed-7-c-e26419d944

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum, library-authority, and public-entity sources with auction-house records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. For Jean Lurçat, identity and biographical data are grounded in the RKD Netherlands Institute, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and the Museum of Modern Art. Market observations are supplemented by the Appraisily auction database of 1,603 recorded lots.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/51377
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q468453
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/31999657/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50043015
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3641
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Lur%C3%A7at
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500014846