# Simeon Solomon artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/simeon-solomon/
Profile generated: 2026-05-27T12:36:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1840-10-09
- Death date: 1905-08-14
- Nationality: British
- Movements: Pre-Raphaelite
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, drawing

## About Simeon Solomon

Simeon Solomon (1840–1905) was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelite circle, recognized for lyrical depictions of Jewish religious life, biblical narratives, and classical subjects. Born in London into a prominent Jewish family, Solomon exhibited at the Royal Academy from the age of eighteen and moved within the artistic milieu of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. His work is notable for its androgynous figures and its early, frank exploration of same-sex desire—themes that distinguish him from his contemporaries. Solomon's public career ended after arrests in 1873 and 1874, after which he lived in obscurity but continued to produce art. His paintings, watercolors, and drawings are held by major institutions including Tate and are the subject of renewed scholarly attention for their treatment of identity, faith, and desire.

## Common works and media

Solomon commonly produced oil paintings, watercolors, and chalk or pencil drawings. Recurring subjects include Jewish religious ceremonies and figures, biblical and Christian scenes drawn from both Hebrew and Christian scripture, classical and mythological compositions, and portraits. His later work tends toward smaller-scale drawings and watercolors. Collectors may also encounter prints and reproductive engravings after his compositions.

## Market and appraisal context

Solomon's works appear at auction primarily as Victorian paintings, drawings, and works on paper. Because his career was cut short, his surviving body of work is smaller than that of many Pre-Raphaelite peers, which can support collector interest. Key valuation factors include medium (oils over works on paper), subject matter (Jewish ritual scenes and androgynous figures are distinctive), provenance linking to the Pre-Raphaelite circle, condition, and exhibition history. Authentication may require specialist opinion, as no modern catalogue raisonné was identified in the available sources.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from museum and library-authority sources—including Tate, the Getty ULAN, VIAF, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History—with public auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/73842
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q732617
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/simeon-solomon-513
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500004763
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/38051359/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr88006277
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Solomon