# Mihály Zichy artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/mihaly-zichy/
Profile generated: 2026-05-26T14:48:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1827-10-15
- Death date: 1906-02-28
- Nationality: Hungarian
- Movements: Romanticism
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, lithography, drawing, illustration

## About Mihály Zichy

Mihály Zichy (1827–1906) was a Hungarian painter and graphic artist widely regarded as a leading representative of Hungarian Romantic painting. Born in Zala County, Hungary, he established his career in Saint Petersburg, where he served as a court painter and developed a strong reputation for his watercolors, lithographs, and book illustrations. His practice spanned oil painting, drawing, watercolor, and printmaking, and he later worked in Paris as well. Zichy's graphic output—particularly his lithographs and illustrative works—earned him recognition across Central and Eastern Europe during his lifetime. He is recorded under several name variants, including Mikhail Aleksandrovich Zichi and Michael von Zichy, reflecting his decades in Russia. Today his works appear in museum collections and at international auction.

## Common works and media

Zichy commonly worked in watercolor, graphite, ink, and lithographic print media, alongside oil on canvas or panel. His subjects include romantic and allegorical compositions, portraits, court scenes, and illustrative series. Lithographic prints and reproductive engravings after his designs appear in the market more frequently than unique paintings. Collectors may also encounter bound illustrated books or portfolios featuring his graphic work.

## Market and appraisal context

Zichy's works appear regularly at auction, with over 230 recorded lots across major and regional houses. Collectors most frequently encounter watercolors, drawings, lithographs, and oil paintings. Key valuation factors include medium and technique, subject matter, provenance linked to his Saint Petersburg or Paris periods, condition, and whether the piece is signed or documented. Works with court-related subject matter or from his illustrated series may attract additional interest. Attribution can be complicated by the artist's multiple recorded name variants across Hungarian, Russian, and German-language catalogues.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library, and authority sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- RKD, Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/86340
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q742959
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mih%C3%A1ly_Zichy
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500024109
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/59356468/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50077586