# Orfeo Tamburi artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/orfeo-tamburi/
Profile generated: 2026-05-04T03:39:02.750Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1910-05-28
- Death date: 1994-06-15
- Nationality: Italian
- Common media: oil painting, drawing, engraving, lithography, sculpture, woodcarving

## About Orfeo Tamburi

Orfeo Tamburi (1910–1994) was an Italian painter, scenic designer, draftsman, and engraver whose career spanned more than five decades. Born on 28 May 1910, he was active from at least 1931 and worked in Paris during the mid-1930s before returning to Italy. Tamburi's practice encompassed oil painting, drawing, printmaking (including engraving and lithography), sculpture, and woodcarving, reflecting a versatility that placed him within Italy's twentieth-century figurative art currents. His work as a scenic designer connected him to the performing arts, adding a theatrical dimension to his output. The RKD records 125 documented works and references in major scholarly publications including Bénézit and Vollmer. Collectors today encounter Tamburi's work primarily through Italian and European auction houses.

## Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Tamburi's oil paintings on canvas or panel, ink and pencil drawings, engraved prints, and lithographs. He also produced sculptures, woodcarvings, and scenic-design works for theatrical productions. His subject matter spans figurative compositions characteristic of mid-twentieth-century Italian art. Works range from unique paintings and drawings to editioned prints, so medium, edition size, and date are important identification factors.

## Market and appraisal context

Tamburi's work appears regularly at auction, with over 800 recorded lots across major databases, indicating sustained collector interest. Works on paper—including drawings and prints—tend to be the most frequently offered category, though paintings and occasional sculptures also appear. Valuation should consider medium, date, condition, provenance, and whether the work dates from his Paris period (1935–1936) or later Italian production. No published catalogue raisonné is referenced in available sources, so attribution questions may require specialist review.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from library-authority and museum-linked sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Orfeo Tamburi, identity data is grounded in RKD, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and Wikidata, cross-referenced with Wikipedia. Market observations are based on aggregate auction-lot data and published biographical references including Bénézit and Vollmer.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/76439
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/119055019/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50008476
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3885611
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orfeo_Tamburi
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500024153