Rating and value of works, paintings by Louis Léopold Boilly

If you own a work by or after Louis Léopold Boilly, 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 value on the current market.

Then, should 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 Louis Léopold Boilly

Louis Léopold Boilly leaves behind a very singular body of work, in the neoclassical movement. Prices for his works are now rising under the auctioneer's hammer. His paintings are particularly prized, especially by French and American buyers.

The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €5 to €2,836,000, a substantial range but one that says a lot about the value that can be attributed to Boilly's works.

In 2017, his trompe-l'œil oil on canvas depicting a crucifix sold for €624,300, while it was estimated at €459,000 to €734,000.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of Louis Léopold Boilly

Louis Léopold Boilly was part of the neoclassical movement, painting mainly genre scenes and portraits. He was trained in trompe-l'œil with the oil-on-canvas technique and was influenced by the Dutch masters.

His style oscillates between meticulous illusionism, the heritage of the 18th century and pre-photographic realism heralding the 19th century. His iconogrpahy focused on bourgeois portraits, artists, actors and musicians, urban scenes, public celebrations and domestic interiors.

He often produced small, anecdotal, often humorous paintings, with a remarkable ability to capture gestures, attitudes and psychological expressions. The scenes are carefully structured, often in small or medium formats.

The composition is dense, with a multiplicity of figures, fine interactions and an almost theatrical organization. He shows an interest in optical effects and illusionist devices, in the continuity of the trompe-l'œil masters.

His portraits are meticulously precise, particularly with regard to skin, lighting, reflections, textures and textiles. A keen eye is paid to micro-expressions (smiles, irony, embarrassment, intensity of gaze). His depiction is faithful but not idealizing, with a tendency towards descriptive realism.

His palette is clear and inherited from the 18th century, with delicate shades of flesh, browns, bluish-greys and ochres. The colors are precise, laid down in thin layers, favoring the sharpness of contours and the legibility of details. He makes subtle use of chromatic contrasts to hierarchize planes.

His execution is extremely meticulous and smooth, with no visible brush marks. He works in oil in thin layers, with successive glazes and transparent superimpositions that reinforce the illusion of depth. He shows a highly advanced mastery of trompe-l'œil, particularly in miniature portraits and " pocket portraits ".

His work shows above all a taste for humorous and anecdotal scenes (social satire, keen observation of human foibles) and a quasi-documentary approach in views of post-revolutionary Paris.

He is a precursor of the modern representation of urban life and a major reference for the visual sociological study of revolutionary, imperial and restored France.

Louis Léopold Boilly, trompe-l'oeil painter

Louis Léopold Boilly (1761 - 1845) was a French neoclassical painter. He was born in Douai, near Lille. His father was a woodcarver, and he came from a modest background.

His first master was Collet. He then studied at Dominique Doncre's workshop in Arras, before moving to Paris, where he painted portraits. At the age of 30, he exhibited at the Salon and became known to the public and critics alike for his portraits and trompe-l'œil.

The Salut Public committee, which defended the interests of the Republic, threatened him with obscenity. Boilly was in fact not a republican, and opposed democracy.

To defend himself against these attacks, he produced a series of paintings supposedly in defense of the regime, including a Triomphe de Marat, a subject in vogue at the time. He painted many genre scenes between the revolutionary events and the Restoration. He also produced satirical lithographs.
He became a member of the Institut de France after the Restoration, the controversies surrounding his political opinions no longer being topical.

He painted almost exclusively genre scenes, not getting involved like François Gérard or Jean-Antoine Gros in the political propaganda of the first half of the 19th century.

Louis Léopold Boilly's imprint on his era

Louis Léopold Boilly marked his era as one of the few to master trompe l'oeil in oil on canvas. His posterity is not great today with the general public, but his work is remarkable and much appreciated by collectors.

Market segmentation and artist rating

The works in circulation are primarily oil paintings (genre scenes, portraits, trompe-l'œil), which constitute the most sought-after and valued segment. Drawings (pen-and-ink, graphite and chalk) are also abundant, with an active and specialized market.

Gouaches and watercolors are often very fine, and form an intermediate segment between drawing and painting. Portrait miniatures are highly prized in a stable market. Prints extend into a wider market, but with moderate value.

Boilly's typical small formats are highly sought-after, as they are representative of his minitature virtuosity. Medium-sized fomats constitute the core market for genre scenes. Large formats are rarer and belong to a premium segment.

Trompe-l'œil are in very strong demand, with high rarity. Quality portraits have good liquidity, especially for identified models or those from prestigious collections. His drawn sheets are very accomplished, with studies of heads, portraits in black stone and characteristic features.

Valuation criteria are documented authenticity, state of preservation, provenance, signature and mention in the catalog raisonné, as well as quality of execution. The liquidity is very high for portraits and drawings, exceptional for trompe-l'œil (rare and sought-after), solid for complete genre scenes and moderate for minor works.

Recognizing Boilly's signature

Louis Léopold Boilly's works are generally signed. However, with or without a mention, it is important for you to have the work appraised to ensure its originality and to be able to date it. What's more, there are naturally many copies.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by Boilly 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 certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as ad hoc information about it.

If you wish to sell your work, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market inclinations.