# Terence Tenison Cuneo artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/terence-tenison-cuneo/
Profile generated: 2026-05-04T21:40:28.121Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1907-11-01
- Death date: 1996-01-03
- Nationality: British, English
- Movements: British representational painting, 20th-century figurative art
- Common media: Oil on canvas, Watercolour, Illustration and print media (magazine covers, posters)

## About Terence Tenison Cuneo

Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996) was an English painter and illustrator celebrated for his dynamic depictions of railways, military engagements, industrial engineering, and ceremonial occasions. Born in London, Cuneo studied at the Slade School of Fine Art before establishing a career that made him one of Britain's most recognisable twentieth-century representational artists. He served as an official war artist during the Second World War, documenting battle scenes from Monte Cassino to Burma, and was appointed official artist for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. A Fellow of the Guild of Railway Artists and a member of the Royal Glasgow Institute, Cuneo produced a vast body of work for British Rail, major engineering firms, and government commissions. His paintings are noted for their technical accuracy, narrative detail, and a characteristic small mouse hidden within the composition. Collectors encounter his work across railway art, military history, and British heritage circles.

## Common works and media

Cuneo's auction and appraisal appearances span original oil paintings, watercolours, and ink drawings of railway and locomotive subjects, British military and battle scenes from both World Wars, industrial and engineering interiors, aviation subjects, equestrian and sporting scenes, ceremonial state occasions, magazine cover illustrations for publications such as John Bull, and reproduced railway posters and prints. Oil paintings of steam locomotives in dramatic settings and large Second World War battle narratives are among the most frequently encountered originals at auction.

## Market and appraisal context

Terence Tenison Cuneo's auction market spans over two decades (2002–2024) with 53 lots recorded and 36 carrying realised prices. The market is predominantly UK-based, centred on regional auction houses such as John Nicholson's Fine Art, Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, Chiswick Auctions, and Claydon Auctioneers, with an occasional appearance at Bonhams and the US house Hindman. Price dispersion is wide: prints and lithographs routinely sell between £10 and £150, while original oil paintings reach £1,900–£3,400 at UK houses and $2,816 at Hindman. The median of £120 reflects the large proportion of editioned prints and posters passing through regional salerooms. British Rail-related posters and signed limited-edition prints of locomotive subjects such as The Flying Scotsman are the most liquid segment. Large-scale original oils with named gallery provenance (notably the Sladmore Gallery, London) form the upper tier. The market shows a significant liquidity gap in the most recent two years with zero priced lots recorded, making it difficult to gauge current price trends. Collectors should treat print and poster values as distinct from original oils when assessing a work's likely appraisal range.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Terence Tenison Cuneo's auction market spans over two decades (2002–2024) with 53 lots recorded and 36 carrying realised prices. The market is predominantly UK-based, centred on regional auction houses such as John Nicholson's Fine Art, Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, Chiswick Auctions, and Claydon Auctioneers, with an occasional appearance at Bonhams and the US house Hindman. Price dispersion is wide: prints and lithographs routinely sell between £10 and £150, while original oil paintings reach £1,900–£3,400 at UK houses and $2,816 at Hindman. The median of £120 reflects the large proportion of editioned prints and posters passing through regional salerooms. British Rail-related posters and signed limited-edition prints of locomotive subjects such as The Flying Scotsman are the most liquid segment. Large-scale original oils with named gallery provenance (notably the Sladmore Gallery, London) form the upper tier. The market shows a significant liquidity gap in the most recent two years with zero priced lots recorded, making it difficult to gauge current price trends. Collectors should treat print and poster values as distinct from original oils when assessing a work's likely appraisal range.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside photographs, measured dimensions, confirmed medium (oil on canvas, watercolour, charcoal, or print type), signature verification (including Cuneo's characteristic hidden mouse), condition reports, provenance documentation (especially Sladmore Gallery labels, British Rail commission records, or Ministry of Information provenance), and edition details for prints (edition size, number, blind stamps). The wide price spread means an appraiser must first classify the work as an original oil, original work on paper, limited-edition print, open-edition print, or poster before selecting comparable lots. Provenance from a named gallery or documented commission materially affects value. The absence of recent auction activity means an appraiser may need to supplement with broader market data or adjust for time since last comparable sale.

### Valuation factors

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### Collector notes

- Distinguish carefully between original oils, original works on paper, and reproduced prints or posters before estimating value. The price difference between a £30 print and a £3,400 oil is two orders of magnitude.
- Cuneo prints are widely available at auction; do not assume scarcity for editioned works with run sizes of 850. Focus on low edition numbers, signed examples, and sought-after locomotive subjects.
- Provenance from the Sladmore Gallery or a documented British Rail commission materially increases value. Retain and photograph any labels, inscriptions, or gallery documentation on the reverse of works.
- The hidden mouse motif is a well-known authentication feature but not a guarantee of authenticity; formal attribution should still be confirmed for significant purchases.
- The recorded market is thin at the top end — only a handful of original oils appear in this dataset — so a professional appraisal is recommended for any large-scale original oil, especially with named provenance.
- No recent auction activity has been captured in the last two years; check live auction platforms for current comparable results before relying on these figures for pricing decisions.

### Market caveats

- Prints, poster reproductions, and book illustrations are far more common at auction than original oils and should be distinguished from unique works. The dataset's low median (£120) reflects this mix.
- Cuneo was extremely prolific over a long career; quality and significance vary considerably across his output.
- Attribution should be confirmed for unsigned or indistinctly signed works, as his style has been widely imitated in the railway art genre.
- Zero priced lots have been recorded in the last 24 months; the absence may reflect a data-collection gap rather than a true market pause.
- Many lot titles in the source feed are truncated, making it impossible to confirm medium, subject, or dimensions for every record. Some 'comparable' lots may be less comparable than their titles suggest.
- Prices are predominantly in GBP from UK regional auction houses; currency conversion and location premiums or discounts may apply for works appraised in other markets.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/terence-tenison-cuneo/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-by-and-after-derby-day-limited-edition-print-signed-in-pencil-number-175-850-46-5cm-x-70-5cm-3335-c-35b400d917
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-british-1907-199-267-c-1c14169a6b
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-british-1907-1996-harbored-fishing-boats-129-c-4cd4df6a42
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-winter-at-hampton-court-lock-with-moored-barges-and-a-moorhen-in-the-foreground-oil-on-canvas-signed-and-dated-january-74-and-inscribed-on-a-label-on-reverse-20-x-30-provenance-the-sladmore-gallery-london-508-c-e7d4d419d9
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-this-noble-ship-a-harbour-scene-with-a-ship-in-dry-dock-oil-on-canvas-signed-and-dated-october-73-and-inscribed-on-a-label-on-the-reverse-36-x-52-provenance-the-sladmore-gallery-375-c-c1b494e969
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-the-flying-scotsman-a-limited-edition-print-published-in-1976-by-blaze-fine-art-ltd-printed-by-press-ltd-blind-stamp-and-limited-in-pencil-730-of-850-signed-lower-right-by-artist-in-pencil-image-56-4cm-x-76cm-280-c-e82470dbae
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-coloured-lithograph-british-railways-poster-bon-voyage-published-by-british-railways-southern-region-ad-6649-b25-and-printed-at-the-baynard-press-40ins-x-49-5ins-unframed-388-c-964442fafd
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-study-of-a-girl-holding-a-basket-of-fruit-oil-on-canvas-signed-with-a-mouse-24-x-18-provenance-direct-from-the-artist-then-by-family-descent-316-c-585444ea08
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-charcoal-and-47-c-afd1f70a4d
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-preparing-for-268-c-1c9eb927ee
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-a-dogfight-with-mice-lithograph-indistinctly-signed-18-5-x-27-36-c-e104a44b39
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-the-opportunist-lithograph-signed-and-numbered-115-850-in-pencil-9-75-x-13-75-35-c-651401a9b5
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-the-rt-hon-cornealeous-caerphilly-o-g-m-inspecting-the-fabulous-mint-3-rupee-western-gorganzols-chedet-lithograph-signed-in-ink-13-75-x-9-75-34-c-6ee4d29a1d
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-signed-coloured-print-a-winter-river-58-c-b084c22a82
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-signed-limited-edition-coloured-print-29-57-c-529412dbfb
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-british-ponies-in-the-12-c-70549bc9f9
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-intercity-271-c-abd40005a3
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-the-flying-269-c-a7e7f8a833
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-night-express-267-c-26871f4cf9
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terence-tenison-cuneo-1907-1996-the-climb-to-266-c-abe59ed44a

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files, museum records, and library sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Terence Tenison Cuneo, identity data is drawn from Wikidata, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and the Getty Union List of Artist Names, supplemented by biographical context from Wikipedia and VIAF work records.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2404494
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Cuneo
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/94138680/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86112164
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/19386
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500002365