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The most expensive Waterhouse ever sold

The most expensive Waterhouse ever sold is St Cecilia: $9 million at Christie's London in 2000. Famous works such as The Lady of Shalott and Hylas and the Nymphs are in public collections, so they are not for sale and have no price.

Lived
1849–1917
From
English
Movement
Pre-Raphaelite
Worked in
London
Portrait of John William Waterhouse
Waterhouse's record$9MSt Cecilia · 2000

Waterhouse's famous works and their prices

  • The Lady of Shalott by John William WaterhouseThe Lady of Shalott1888 · Tate Britain, LondonNot for sale
  • Ophelia by John William WaterhouseOphelia1894
  • Hylas and the Nymphs by John William WaterhouseHylas and the Nymphs1896 · Manchester Art GalleryNot for sale

“Not for sale” means a public collection holds the work. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

Waterhouse next to other artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research.

  1. Velázquez$17MSaint Rufina · 2007
  2. Goya$16.4MPortraits of Doña María Vicenta Barruso Valdés and Doña Leonora Antonia Valdés de Barruso · 2023
  3. El Greco$14MSaint Dominic in Prayer · 2013
  4. Delacroix$9.88MTigre jouant avec une tortue · 2018
  5. Corot$9.01MVenise, vue du Quai des Esclavons · 2018
  6. Waterhouse$9MSt Cecilia · 2000
  7. Cassatt$7.49MYoung Lady in a Loge Gazing to Right · 2022
  8. David$7.21MPortrait of Ramel de Nogaret · 2008
  9. Millais$3.48MSisters · 2013

Bars are to scale within this list. Source for Waterhouse's record: deseret.com.

About John William Waterhouse

English painter born in Rome to English artist parents and trained at the Royal Academy Schools in London. He began with classical subjects in the academic manner, then from the late 1880s took up Pre-Raphaelite subject matter, working a generation after the Brotherhood itself had broken up. Tennyson, Shakespeare and Greek myth gave him his recurring theme of a solitary, watchful woman, treated first in "The Lady of Shalott" of 1888 and twice more in later versions. Elected a Royal Academician in 1895, he exhibited there almost every year until shortly before his death in 1917.

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Art Scanner result for the Mona Lisa with its $100M insured value tag
The Mona Lisa in Art Scanner: insured value $100M

Questions

What is the most expensive Waterhouse ever sold?

St Cecilia, which sold for $9 million at Christie's London in 2000. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

How much is a Waterhouse painting worth?

It depends on the work. The highest documented sale is $9 million for St Cecilia. Works in public collections are not for sale.

Where can I see Waterhouse's paintings?

Among the works here: the Tate Britain, London and the Manchester Art Gallery.

Who was John William Waterhouse?

John William Waterhouse (1849–1917). English painter born in Rome to English artist parents and trained at the Royal Academy Schools in London. He began with classical subjects in the academic manner, then from the late 1880s took up Pre-Raphaelite subject matter, working a generation after the Brotherhood itself had broken up. Tennyson, Shakespeare and Greek myth gave him his recurring theme of a solitary, watchful woman, treated first in "The Lady of Shalott" of 1888 and twice more in later versions. Elected a Royal Academician in 1895, he exhibited there almost every year until shortly before his death in 1917.

Other artists