# Paul Raphael Meltsner artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/paul-raphael-meltsner/
Profile generated: 2026-08-24T12:51:36.567Z
Quality: medium confidence, adequate sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Common media: Painting, Lithography

## Portrait

![Paul Raphael Meltsner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Paul_Meltsner%2C_1905-1966_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Paul Meltsner · see-source-page
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Meltsner

## About Paul Raphael Meltsner

Paul Raphael Meltsner (1905–1967) was an American painter and lithographer. Authority records from Wikidata, VIAF, Getty ULAN, and the Library of Congress identify the artist and connect the fuller name Paul Raphael Meltsner with the shorter forms Paul Meltsner and Paul R. Meltsner. The collected biographical material associates his work with two recognizable contexts: paintings and lithographs produced during the Works Progress Administration era, and later portraits of celebrities from the performing arts. These contexts describe periods of activity rather than a securely documented formal movement affiliation. Collectors may therefore encounter Meltsner through paintings, lithographs, other works on paper, or portrait subjects linked to stage and performance culture. His presence in museum and authority databases also gives researchers several stable identifiers for distinguishing his work from similarly named artists. Attribution and appraisal should still rely on the individual object's physical and documentary evidence.

## Common works and media

The source pack supports two principal media associated with Meltsner: painting and lithography. It also identifies WPA-era paintings and lithographs and later portraits of celebrities in the performing arts. These are the best-supported categories for cataloging or searching potential works. The available evidence does not establish sculpture, ceramics, posters, numbered editions, or another medium as a characteristic part of his output.

## Market and appraisal context

Market analysis for Meltsner should begin by separating paintings from lithographs and then identifying the work's subject and period. A WPA-era work is not automatically comparable to a later performing-arts portrait, even when both are by the same artist. The most relevant public auction comparisons will ordinarily match the work type and subject context and will record the sale date and realized price. The collected pack confirms that Appraisily maintains an auction-price page for the artist, but it does not expose lot-level descriptions, results, provenance, condition, or edition information. Consequently, this profile supports a framework for comparison rather than a price forecast. Any appraisal should be updated from accessible, closely comparable lots and evidence specific to the object under review.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine researched identity records with auction records and auction-house context. When available, sale dates, realized prices, and closely comparable lots are used to assess individual works; this source pack supplies strong identity evidence but only limited lot-level market detail.

## Sources

- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/96016263/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7152460
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500050118
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97865580
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/6854
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.4960.html
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Meltsner
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/paul-raphael-meltsner/