# Richard Westall artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/richard-westall/
Profile generated: 2026-05-27T14:17:46.761Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1836-12-04
- Nationality: English
- Common media: oil painting, watercolour, engraving, lithography, miniature painting, book illustration

## About Richard Westall

Richard Westall (1765–1836) was an English painter, illustrator, and engraver best known for his portraits of Lord Byron and his historical and literary subject paintings. Born in Hertfordshire and initially trained as a silversmith, Westall shifted to fine art study in 1785 and went on to build a career spanning portraiture, miniature painting, watercolour, and printmaking. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and gained prominence for his refined neoclassical style, which suited the literary and historical themes popular in late-Georgian Britain. Westall served as drawing master to the young Queen Victoria, cementing his standing in the British art establishment. His brother William Westall (1781–1850) was also a noted landscape painter. Works by Richard Westall are held in the Tate collection and other major British institutions, and his illustrations appeared in several popular literary publications of the period.

## Common works and media

Collectors most frequently encounter Westall's work as portrait paintings (especially of Byron), literary and historical subject compositions in oil or watercolour, miniature portraits, and engraved or lithographed book illustrations. His illustrations for editions of British poetry and literary annuals were widely distributed, so printed plates after his designs appear regularly on the market. Original oil paintings and watercolours are less common at auction. RKD records him as active across painting, watercolour, engraving, lithography, illumination, and miniature painting.

## Market and appraisal context

Richard Westall's works appear at auction primarily in Old Master Paintings, British Art, and Works on Paper categories. His oil portraits and literary subject paintings are the most sought-after, particularly those depicting Lord Byron or scenes from well-known literary works. Reproductive engravings after his designs circulate more widely and tend to realise lower prices than unique paintings. Factors that affect appraisal include whether a work is an original composition or a print after Westall, the subject and sitter identity, medium, provenance, and condition. Watercolours and miniatures occupy a middle market range. Collectors should verify attribution carefully, as Westall's illustrations were widely reproduced in books and prints through the early nineteenth century.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Richard Westall, identity and biographical data are drawn from the Tate, Getty ULAN, RKD, VIAF, and Wikidata authority files.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3109174
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Westall
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500012476
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/71662547/
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/83816
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/richard-westall-595
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84229908