# Mino Maccari artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/mino-maccari/
Profile generated: 2026-05-02T12:52:36.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1898-11-24
- Death date: 1989-06-16
- Nationality: Italian
- Movements: Italian modern art, satirical and editorial illustration tradition
- Common media: etching, painting, watercolor, illustration, woodcut / woodcarving

## About Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari (1898–1989) was an Italian painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, and caricaturist born in Siena. Active across an exceptionally broad range of disciplines, he is recognized as a painter and etcher as well as a journalist, editor, and designer for the stage. His professional life spanned much of the twentieth century, and his creative output includes watercolors, woodcuts, etchings, and paintings alongside satirical drawings and theatrical scenography. Maccari's editorial and caricature work placed him at the center of Italian cultural and political commentary for decades. Works by Maccari are held in major international museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London, and his career is documented in the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Library of Congress, and the Bénézit Dictionary of Artists.

## Common works and media

Maccari is known for etchings, watercolors, paintings, woodcuts, and ink illustrations. His subjects often include satirical scenes, caricatures, figure studies, and theatrical or stage-related compositions. Prints and works on paper are the most commonly available categories in the secondary market. Collectors may also encounter book illustrations and editorial drawings from his decades of journalistic work.

## Market and appraisal context

Mino Maccari has a well-established secondary-market footprint with 717 auction lots recorded since 1994, of which 416 carry a realized price. The market is primarily Italian: Casa d'Aste Babuino, Pananti Casa D'Aste SRL, Bertolami Fine Art, and Casa d'aste ARCADIA are the most frequent houses, though Christie's also appears among the top ten. Price dispersion is wide—realized prices range from €5 for color lithographs to €575,000 at the top end, suggesting that important paintings and unique works command a substantially different tier from the more commonly encountered prints and works on paper. The interquartile range (€180–€950) and median of €500 indicate that most lots are modestly priced prints, etchings, or small works on paper. Recent liquidity has softened: 40 lots appeared in the trailing twelve months versus 76 in the prior period, though this may reflect cataloguing cycles at Italian regional houses rather than declining collector interest. Paintings, watercolors, and signed etchings with strong subject matter (figure studies, theatrical scenes) tend to exceed the median, while untitled prints and late-career works on paper cluster near or below it.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Mino Maccari has a well-established secondary-market footprint with 717 auction lots recorded since 1994, of which 416 carry a realized price. The market is primarily Italian: Casa d'Aste Babuino, Pananti Casa D'Aste SRL, Bertolami Fine Art, and Casa d'aste ARCADIA are the most frequent houses, though Christie's also appears among the top ten. Price dispersion is wide—realized prices range from €5 for color lithographs to €575,000 at the top end, suggesting that important paintings and unique works command a substantially different tier from the more commonly encountered prints and works on paper. The interquartile range (€180–€950) and median of €500 indicate that most lots are modestly priced prints, etchings, or small works on paper. Recent liquidity has softened: 40 lots appeared in the trailing twelve months versus 76 in the prior period, though this may reflect cataloguing cycles at Italian regional houses rather than declining collector interest. Paintings, watercolors, and signed etchings with strong subject matter (figure studies, theatrical scenes) tend to exceed the median, while untitled prints and late-career works on paper cluster near or below it.

### Appraisal notes

An appraisal of a Maccari work should weigh medium, dimensions, date, signature, condition, provenance, and subject matter against the documented auction record. The broad price range (€5–€575,000) means that correctly classifying the work's tier—unique painting versus editioned print versus commercial illustration—is the single most consequential step. Appraisily would compare the work against recent comparable lots at Pananti, Bertolami, Babuino, and other Italian houses, adjusting for medium (oil on canvas or panel commands a premium over works on paper or lithographs), date (mid-career figurative works tend to be stronger than late untitled pieces), subject (theatrical and narrative scenes outperform generic figure studies), and condition. Edition details for prints (edition size, plate mark, paper type) are essential. A documented provenance trail or inclusion in a recognized catalogue raisonné would materially support value. Given the volume of lots and the mix of Italian regional and international houses, the auction record provides a robust comparable base for most medium categories.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: unique paintings and watercolors command a significant premium over editioned prints (lithographs, etchings); the auction record shows lithographs realizing as little as €30 while paintings can reach five and six figures.
- Subject and narrative content: titled figurative works, theatrical scenes, and narrative compositions (e.g., 'Sirene a bordo,' 'Mercato delle schiave') tend to outperform untitled or generic pieces.
- Date and period: mid-20th-century works (1940s–1960s) with identifiable dates generally carry more weight than undated or late-career pieces.
- Edition and print specifics: for prints, edition size, plate dimensions, paper quality, and whether the impression is signed and numbered all affect value substantially.
- Provenance and exhibition history: a documented chain of ownership or inclusion in a recognized catalogue raisonné strengthens attribution and value.
- Condition: works on paper are vulnerable to foxing, acid migration, and light damage; condition reports are critical for accurate appraisal.
- Auction-house tier: results from Christie's or Finante may anchor higher-value comparables, while regional Italian houses provide a broader mid-market base.

### Collector notes

- Maccari's auction market is liquid and accessible, with hundreds of lots appearing regularly at Italian auction houses. Collectors entering at the print tier can acquire signed etchings and lithographs for €100–€500, making this a comparatively affordable entry point for a museum-represented Italian modernist. Buyers seeking paintings or significant watercolors should expect to compete at higher price levels and should prioritize works with clear provenance, strong subject matter, and good condition. The presence of Christie's among the top auction houses signals that important works do reach the international market. Be aware that Maccari's prolific output across fine art, illustration, and editorial work means that attribution and quality vary widely; comparing any prospective purchase against the documented auction record is strongly advisable. Recent volume has softened, so buyers may find less competition at auction, though this also means fewer comparable lots for price discovery.

### Market caveats

- The maximum recorded price of €575,000 is an outlier that is not representative of the typical lot; the median (€500) and interquartile range (€180–€950) better describe the most common price tier for prints and works on paper.
- Auction prices are recorded in EUR; collectors dealing in other currencies should account for exchange-rate effects on comparable values.
- Recent twelve-month volume (40 lots) is roughly half the prior period (76 lots); whether this reflects market softening or cataloguing variation at Italian regional houses is unclear from the data alone.
- Several recent lots show null realized prices (unsold or result not yet reported), which may inflate the apparent softness of recent results.
- Maccari worked prolifically across painting, printmaking, illustration, and theatrical design; not all works carry the same market weight, and attribution should be verified against catalogued sources.
- The auction record is dominated by Italian regional houses whose estimates and reporting practices may differ from international standards; cross-reference with major auction databases for a fuller picture.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/mino-maccari/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-self-portrait-with-figures-20th-century-74-c-8a0edcaf65
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-il-domatore-205-c-ef5b1c9ed5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-73-c-3737071390
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-senza-titolo-1982-37-c-6fbf6ee74e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-l-approccio-74-c-a389ceb2ac
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-sirene-a-bordo-1965-212-c-a7e6623df0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-il-peso-della-vita-188-c-6f9123a8fd
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-senza-titolo-179-c-e147c574ad
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-siena-1898-roma-1989-mercato-delle-schiave-176-c-058a0e8cbc
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-mino-maccari-affinita-elettive-1945-84-c-d299089830

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine published artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Mino Maccari, identity and biographical data are grounded in authority files from the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and museum collection records at MoMA and Tate.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79084145
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/118174233/
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/51658
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3661
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/mino-maccari-1538
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3858582