# Terrence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/terrence-harold-robsjohn-gibbings/
Profile generated: 2026-05-04T02:43:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1976-10-20
- Nationality: British, American
- Movements: Mid-century modern furniture and interior design
- Common media: furniture, interior decorative painting

## About Terrence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905–1976) was a British-born furniture designer, architect, and interior decorator who became one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century American interior design. Born in London, he relocated to the United States and established a prominent practice in New York City from the 1930s through the 1970s. Robsjohn-Gibbings is recognized for furniture that blended classical Greek proportions with streamlined modern sensibility, rejecting the ornate revival styles of his era in favor of clean, restrained forms. He designed for leading manufacturers and authored books on design and classical furniture. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Collectors encounter Robsjohn-Gibbings pieces primarily through decorative arts auctions and mid-century design galleries.

## Common works and media

Common works encountered in the secondary market include lounge chairs, sofas, dining tables, console tables, credenzas, bookcases, and side tables. Materials range from solid woods (notably walnut and mahogany) to brass, cane, and upholstered elements. Robsjohn-Gibbings also produced decorative paintings and interior schemes. Designs were manufactured under his name by several firms, so pieces may carry different maker labels while sharing a consistent design vocabulary rooted in classical proportion and modern simplicity.

## Market and appraisal context

Robsjohn-Gibbings has a well-established but moderately liquid secondary market. Appraisily auction records index 48 lots, of which 41 carry realized prices spanning 2010 through April 2026. Prices range from $550 (a Barton's Auction slipper chair, Feb 2025) to $35,380 at the top end, with a median of $3,720 and an interquartile range of roughly $2,440–$6,710. Five auction houses account for the observed volume: Rago Arts and Auction Center (United States), Piasa (France), Sworders (United Kingdom), Tajan (France), and Barton's Auction. The strongest individual results come from Piasa sales of seating and cabinet pieces in EUR, while Rago lots priced in USD cluster between $1,200 and $8,000. Liquidity is thin at the current margin—only two lots sold in the most recent 12-month window and two in the prior 12 months—so pricing is more sensitive to individual piece quality and provenance than to broad market momentum. Category presence is concentrated in furniture (cabinets, sofas, lounge and klismos chairs, consoles, tables) with occasional interior decorative painting lots.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Robsjohn-Gibbings has a well-established but moderately liquid secondary market. Appraisily auction records index 48 lots, of which 41 carry realized prices spanning 2010 through April 2026. Prices range from $550 (a Barton's Auction slipper chair, Feb 2025) to $35,380 at the top end, with a median of $3,720 and an interquartile range of roughly $2,440–$6,710. Five auction houses account for the observed volume: Rago Arts and Auction Center (United States), Piasa (France), Sworders (United Kingdom), Tajan (France), and Barton's Auction. The strongest individual results come from Piasa sales of seating and cabinet pieces in EUR, while Rago lots priced in USD cluster between $1,200 and $8,000. Liquidity is thin at the current margin—only two lots sold in the most recent 12-month window and two in the prior 12 months—so pricing is more sensitive to individual piece quality and provenance than to broad market momentum. Category presence is concentrated in furniture (cabinets, sofas, lounge and klismos chairs, consoles, tables) with occasional interior decorative painting lots.

### Appraisal notes

An Appraisily appraisal for a Robsjohn-Gibbings piece would combine the indexed auction-record distribution above with high-resolution photographs, measured dimensions, identification of materials (wood species, metalwork, cane, upholstery fabric), maker labels or stamps (Widdicomb, Baker, Saridis workshop), condition report including originality of finish and any restoration, and documented provenance. The comparable-lot pool of 41 priced results provides a useful benchmark spread, but appraisers should weight comparables by currency, geography, form type (seating vs. cabinetry vs. tables), and sale date recency. Pieces produced with the Saridis workshop in Greece or carrying Widdicomb labels tend to appear more frequently in the record and may serve as closer comparables than unlabeled attributed works.

### Valuation factors

- Form and function: seating (klismos chairs, lounge chairs, sofas) and case pieces (cabinets, credenzas) dominate the record and each have distinct price tiers
- Manufacturer label: Widdicomb and Baker production lines appear frequently; Saridis workshop collaboration pieces are sought after
- Materials: walnut and mahogany case goods, brass details, and cane elements affect value; upholstery originality is a significant factor
- Completeness: pairs and matching sets command premiums over single pieces (e.g., a Widdicomb pair of lounge chairs realized $7,930 at Rago vs. single-chair lots under $3,000)
- Provenance: documented commissions for prominent clients or published interiors substantially increase value
- Condition and originality: original finish, untouched upholstery, and intact structural elements are valued over restored pieces
- Currency and geography: EUR-denominated results (Piasa, Tajan) tend to be higher than USD results (Rago, Barton's), partly reflecting form type and market
- Sale recency: with only 2 lots in the trailing 12 months, recent comparable availability is limited and appraisals should reference a wider date window

### Collector notes

- Liquidity is modest: expect 2–5 Robsjohn-Gibbings lots to appear at major houses in any given year, so patience may be needed to find a specific form.
- The lower end of the market (around $550–$2,500) is populated by single chairs and smaller pieces, often at regional auction houses; the upper range ($10,000–$35,000) is dominated by Piasa sales of sofas, canapés, and cabinet suites.
- Pieces bearing Widdicomb or Baker labels are the most frequently encountered and provide attribution confidence; unlabeled attributed pieces should be reviewed by a specialist.
- Pairs matter: a Widdicomb pair of klismos chairs realized $3,720 while a pair of lounge chairs reached $7,930—nearly double single-chair results.
- EUR-priced results from Piasa and Tajan dominate the top of the price range; collectors buying in USD at US houses may find relatively lower entry points for equivalent forms.
- The 'Colosseum' walnut cabinet line appears at Sworders in GBP and can serve as a design-specific comparable for collectors seeking labeled case pieces.

### Market caveats

- Only 41 of 48 indexed lots carry realized prices; unsold lots are excluded from the price distribution and may indicate reserve prices above market willingness.
- Price statistics mix currencies (USD, EUR, GBP). The median of $3,720 is calculated on a normalized basis and should not be compared directly against a single-currency result without conversion.
- Recent volume is thin (2 lots per year for the last two years), so the median and quartile figures are shaped heavily by older 2011–2018 Rago and Piasa results.
- Robsjohn-Gibbings designed for multiple manufacturers (Widdicomb, Baker, Saridis). Attribution without maker labels, documentary evidence, or specialist examination is uncertain and should not rely on style alone.
- Some lot titles in the record are truncated (e.g., 'T') and cannot be matched to a specific form, limiting comparable-lot precision.
- The source pack does not include condition reports, dimensions, or photographs for most lots, so price variation by condition cannot be assessed.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/terrence-harold-robsjohn-gibbings/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable / Piasa: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-terrence-harold-robsjohn-gibbings-1905-1976-suite-of-two-cabinets-22-c-1959103514

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98070648
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/61162392/
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/425207
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/4967
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7668294
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._H._Robsjohn-Gibbings