# John Rattenbury Skeaping artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/john-rattenbury-skeaping/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T06:00:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1901-06-09
- Death date: 1980-03-05
- Nationality: British
- Common media: sculpture, painting (equine subjects), etching, drawing

## About John Rattenbury Skeaping

John Rattenbury Skeaping, RA (1901–1980) was a British sculptor, painter, and printmaker best known for his equine and animal subjects. Born in South Woodford, England, the son of painter Kenneth Matheison Skeaping, he trained as a sculptor in the late 1910s and was active from roughly 1920 through the mid-1970s. He married the sculptor Barbara Hepworth in 1924 (divorced 1933), a period that placed him at the center of British modernist sculpture. Skeaping was elected a Royal Academician and taught at an academy or university from 1948 to 1959. Beyond gallery sculpture, he designed animal figures for Wedgwood and created a life-size statue of the racehorse Secretariat for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. His work is held by major institutions including Tate, which maintains a dedicated artist page. With 447 recorded auction appearances, Skeaping's work is a regular presence in the secondary market.

## Common works and media

Skeaping's most commonly encountered works include bronze and stone animal sculptures (particularly horses, dogs, and birds), equine paintings in oil and watercolor, etchings and drawings of animal subjects, and ceramic animal figures produced by Wedgwood. His public commissions, such as the Secretariat statue, represent a distinct category of monumental sculpture. Smaller-scale carvings, portrait busts, and occasional war-era works also appear. The 447 auction records attributed to him in the Appraisily database span sculptures, paintings, prints, and decorative ceramics.

## Market and appraisal context

John Skeaping's work appears across sculpture, painting, works on paper, and decorative ceramics at auction. His bronze and stone animal sculptures, especially equine subjects, are the most sought-after category. The Wedgwood ceramic animal figures he designed were produced in editions and range widely in value depending on model rarity, size, and condition. Provenance is an important factor—works with documented exhibition history or early date may command stronger interest. His connection to Barbara Hepworth and his RA status add institutional weight. Collectors should verify attribution carefully on ceramic editions, as Wedgwood reissued designs over time. Comparable auction records and specialist review are recommended for formal appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum, library authority, and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For John Skeaping, identity data is grounded in Getty ULAN, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, RKD, Tate, and Wikidata. Market observations are general and do not constitute appraisals; a qualified appraiser should be consulted for formal valuation.

## Sources

- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/72922
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr2001050384
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-skeaping-1949
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3182465
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500016552
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/68862934/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Skeaping