Rating and value of paintings by Richard Parkes Bonington

If you own a work by or after Richard Parkes Bonington, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Thereafter, if you wish to sell your work, we will direct you to the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Rating and value of the artist Richard Parkes Bonington  

Bonington leaves behind a romantic oeuvre, much inspired by the sea. Prices for his works are now skyrocketing under auctioneers' gavels. His paintings are highly prized, especially by English buyers. The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €40 to €5,335,070, a very substantial range, but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Bonington's works. In 2022, his marine painting Picardy Coast with Children - Sunrise, sold for €2,262,620. His rating is high and stable.  

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of artist Richard Parkes Bonington   

Bonington is a painter who belongs to the Romantic movement, drawing much inspiration from Flemish and Venetian painters. He painted a great deal inspired by the sea, boats and sailors : he is one of the most eminent painters of naval paintings that England has known.

Richard Parkes Bonington, representing the sea through romanticism

Richard Parkes Bonington (1802 - 1828), was a 19th-century English marine painter.

Despite his brief career, Bonington remains a highly celebrated and renowned marine painter. He was born in Nottingham Bay. His father worked in a succession of trades, and it was he who introduced him to watercolors. By the age of 11, he was showing watercolors and paintings in Liverpool. His family moved to Calais four years later, where he took painting lessons from François Louis Thomas Francia. With Francia, he learned watercolor landscape painting, a technique at odds with the academic canons of the time. He moved to Paris at 16, and met Eugène Delacroix, who was to become his friend for the rest of his life. They naturally influenced each other's work. He copied Dutch and Flemish landscapes, which were to have a major influence on his paintings.

The following year, at the age of 17, he entered Baron Gros's studio as a pupil, but quarreled with him over academic rules and left the studio. He then lived with Paul Huet, and traveled to Normandy and the Breton coast to find inspiration like Mathurin Janssaud. He exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1822 to great acclaim. In 1925, he received a gold medal awarded by Charles X, an award also received by John Constable.

He died in 1828, aged 25, of tuberculosis.

Richard Parkes Bonington's imprint on his period

Richard Parkes Bonington left his mark on 19th-century art with the dazzling success of his works despite the brevity of his career. He influenced many painters after him, including Eugène Isabey, official painter of the French navy.

Today, his works are still highly prized on the auction market. Although some of his work is exhibited in London, private collectors play an important role in preserving his work.

Recognizing the artist's signature

Not all Richard Parkes Bonington's works are signed. They may be at the bottom of the painting, but if you think you own one, it's best to have it appraised to be sure of the originality of your property.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by Bonington or after the artist, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website. A member of our team of experts and chartered auctioneers will contact you promptly with an estimate of the market value of your work, and will provide you with all the relevant information. If you wish to sell your work, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives to sell it at the best possible price, taking into account the inclinations of the market.