# Robin Philipson artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/robin-philipson/ Profile generated: 2026-05-05T04:58:31.392Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Nationality: English, Scottish - Movements: Scottish figurative painting - Common media: oil painting, watercolour ## About Robin Philipson Sir Robin Philipson (1916–1992) was an English-born painter who became one of the most influential figures in Scottish art during the second half of the twentieth century. Born in Broughton-in-Furness, he settled in Scotland and built a career spanning over three decades as a central presence in the Edinburgh art world. Philipson served as President of the Royal Scottish Academy and was a member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), receiving a knighthood for his contributions. His paintings are recognised for their bold use of colour and expressive figurative style, encompassing landscapes, still lifes, religious subjects, and his celebrated cockfighting series. His work is held in public collections and appears regularly at major UK auction houses. ## Common works and media Philipson is best known for oil paintings, including large-scale figurative canvases, landscapes, still lifes, and church and altar commissions. His cockfighting series and religious subjects such as altar paintings are well documented. Watercolours and works on paper also appear. Collectors may encounter works titled after specific subjects—such as still-life compositions, Edinburgh cityscapes, and animal scenes—across UK and international auction catalogues. ## Market and appraisal context Robin Philipson's work has a well-established UK and international auction presence, with 19 recorded lots in the Appraisily index spanning 2002 to 2023 and 12 with realised prices. Major houses handling his work include Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Dreweatts 1759, and Mallams in the UK, alongside DuMouchelles and Litchfield Auctions (US), MBA Seattle Auction LLC (US), Strauss & Co and Stephan Welz & Co (South Africa). The price distribution is wide: the lowest priced lot sold for £42 (Dreweatts 1759, 2007, a work titled 'Peasant Colour'), while the highest reached £12,500 at Christie's in 2008 for 'Triad'. The median is approximately £1,050. Multiple Christie's results cluster between £5,000 and £6,875, showing that strong figurative oils achieve significantly higher prices than watercolours or smaller works. The market is primarily denominated in GBP, with occasional USD and ZAR results. No lots were recorded in the most recent 12-month period, which may indicate thin current liquidity or incomplete recent indexing rather than absence of demand. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Robin Philipson's work has a well-established UK and international auction presence, with 19 recorded lots in the Appraisily index spanning 2002 to 2023 and 12 with realised prices. Major houses handling his work include Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Dreweatts 1759, and Mallams in the UK, alongside DuMouchelles and Litchfield Auctions (US), MBA Seattle Auction LLC (US), Strauss & Co and Stephan Welz & Co (South Africa). The price distribution is wide: the lowest priced lot sold for £42 (Dreweatts 1759, 2007, a work titled 'Peasant Colour'), while the highest reached £12,500 at Christie's in 2008 for 'Triad'. The median is approximately £1,050. Multiple Christie's results cluster between £5,000 and £6,875, showing that strong figurative oils achieve significantly higher prices than watercolours or smaller works. The market is primarily denominated in GBP, with occasional USD and ZAR results. No lots were recorded in the most recent 12-month period, which may indicate thin current liquidity or incomplete recent indexing rather than absence of demand. ### Appraisal notes Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside photographs of the work, measured dimensions, medium identification (oil on canvas, watercolour, or mixed media), signature verification, condition report, provenance documentation, exhibition labels, and any edition details. The wide price dispersion—£42 to £12,500—means that subject, size, medium, and provenance are critical to placing a specific work within the observed range. Cockfighting subjects and large figurative oils carry the strongest auction results in this dataset, while watercolours and smaller works on paper tend toward the lower end. Works with exhibition labels (such as Aitken Dott / The Scottish Gallery or Festival Exhibition labels) have documented provenance context that can support valuation. An 'After Robin Philipson' lot at Bonhams (2002, £70) indicates that attribution verification is also relevant, as copies or prints circulate at auction. ### Valuation factors - Medium: oil on canvas works command substantially higher prices than watercolours and works on paper in this artist's auction record - Subject: cockfighting scenes and figurative compositions with nudes achieve top-tier results; still lifes and landscapes fall in the middle range - Size and scale: larger canvases correlate with higher realised prices across the dataset - Provenance and exhibition labels: works bearing Aitken Dott / The Scottish Gallery or Festival Exhibition labels provide documented exhibition history - Attribution: at least one 'After Robin Philipson' lot is recorded; confirming authenticity and signature is essential - Condition: as with all twentieth-century works on canvas and paper, condition directly affects value - Auction house tier: Christie's and Sotheby's results anchor the upper price range; regional houses (Mallams, Dreweatts) typically handle mid-range lots - Currency and market: the majority of sales are in GBP at UK houses; USD and ZAR results exist but are less frequent ### Collector notes - If you own a Robin Philipson work, look for a signature, any gallery or exhibition labels on the reverse, and note the medium and dimensions. Oil paintings—especially large figurative canvases and cockfighting subjects—are the most commercially significant category. Watercolours and mixed-media works are more affordable at auction but still carry respectable results when provenance is documented. Works with Festival Exhibition or Scottish Gallery labels command a premium. Be aware that 'After Robin Philipson' prints and copies appear at auction and sell for very little; attribution verification is recommended before pursuing an appraisal. Current auction liquidity appears thin (no recorded lots in the last 12 months in this dataset), so collectors should not assume immediate resale at recent estimate levels. ### Market caveats - The Appraisily auction-record sample contains 19 lots; the broader Invaluable index cites approximately 687 lots. The priced subset (12 lots) may not fully represent the artist's complete market range. - No lots were recorded in the most recent 12-month window, which limits commentary on current market trajectory. - Price dispersion is very wide (£42–£12,500 GBP), making single-figure estimates unreliable without work-specific details. - One lot in the dataset is explicitly catalogued as 'After Robin Philipson' (Bonhams, 2002, £70), indicating that attribution questions arise in this artist's market. - Currency mix (GBP, USD, ZAR, EUR) means direct price comparisons require conversion and consideration of local market conditions. - The dataset does not include estimates, only realised prices where available; several lots have no price recorded. - Market data reflects public auction results only and does not capture private sales, dealer asking prices, or gallery representation. ### Market evidence sources - Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/robin-philipson/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-robin-philipson-1916-1992-peasant-colour-534-c-mzxiwgyzud - Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-robin-philipson-1916-1992-british-night-with-reclining-nude-watercolour-9in-x-12in-aitken-dott-festival-exhibition-1965-label-verso-see-illustration-284-c-oe04yezvmm - Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-robin-philipson-british-1916-1992-threnody-condemned-signed-marked-with-the-artist-s-name-and-title-on-a-label-on-the-reverse-watercolour-and-collage-10-by-12-5cm-exhibited-aitken-dott-and-son-the-scottish-gallery-edinburgh-festival-453-c-f7isz6tp07 - Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-after-robin-philipson-306-c-7w4fs4wa3g ## 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. The information on this page is drawn from public authority files and published references, not from private or paywalled databases. ## Sources - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7352715 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Philipson - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500019726 - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/44229379/ - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr2001034263 - RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/63179