Samuel Palmer

Do you own a piece by Samuel Palmer and would you like to know more about the work and its value? Our Experts will carry out a free appraisal of your painting, provide you with an estimate of the market price, and help you to sell it at the best price.

Status, price and estimation of the artist Samuel Palmer

Price of a painting: 1,220 – 23,000 €.

Price of a drawing: 380 – 1,600,000 €.

Estimation of a print: 120 – 10,210 €.

If you would like to have a work by Samuel Palmer appraised, our experts will take care of everything.

The beginnings of Samuel Palmer

Samuel Palmer was an important figure in English Romantic painting. He was born in Newington on January 27, 1805 and died in Redhill on May 24, 1881.

The son of a bookseller, he was not well known for his artistic and academic studies. This did not prevent him from painting his first landscapes at the age of 12 and holding an exhibition at the Royal Academy in London when he was only 14. This exhibition was strongly inspired by Turner’s work.

The mystical landscapes of Samuel Palmer

In 1824, Samuel Palmer met the painter-poet William Blake through the English landscape artist and engraver John Linnel. The influence of the latter is very noticeable in Palmer’s work over the next ten years, which is known to be the finest of his career.

The painter depicts the surroundings of Shoreham, a village in East Kent where he took up residence between 1826 and 1835. He painted semi-paradisiac, mysterious and visionary landscapes in often sepia tones under the light of the moon and stars.

It was at this time that he joined the “Ancients”, a group of painters strongly influenced by William Blake.

When he returned to London in 1835, he married Linnel’s daughter and bought himself a house in Marylebone. His paintings gradually abandoned their mystical character to become more conventional. He explained this change by the fact that he needed money and therefore had to sell his paintings. Indeed, his peaceful vision of rural England was greatly affected by the violent rural discontent of the early 1830s, and as his inheritance dwindled, he decided to produce work that was more in keeping with public taste.

Samuel Palmer, a little-known and later rehabilitated artist

Samuel Palmer turned to watercolour, a medium that was gaining popularity in England. Driven by the desire to embark on a great career, the couple spent two years in Italy. There, the painter’s palette becomes more brilliant, almost garish. When he returned to London, he looked for clients, but met with limited success. He was then obliged to give private drawing lessons for the next twenty years.

From 1862 onwards, he left London to settle in various cottages in England. The painter’s last years were overshadowed by the death of his eldest son at the age of 19.

After his death, Samuel Palmer fell into oblivion. In 1909, a large part of his paintings depicting the Shoreham area were burned by his youngest son, who declared that he was doing so to avoid further humiliation to his father, whose work was never appreciated.

It was not until the 1950s that its reputation was fully restored. This was mainly based on his Shoreham paintings, which had a great influence on young English artists.

In 2005, the British Museum collaborated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and organised a major retrospective of his work.

Recognising Samuel Palmer’s signature

Like many artists, Samuel Palmer did not sign all of his works. However, you will find below an example of the signatures to give you an idea. Variations of these signatures do exist, do not hesitate to contact one of our experts to formally authenticate a signature.

Appraise and sell a painting by Samuel Palmer

If you own a Samuel Palmer painting or any other sculpture, ask for a free estimate via our online form.

You will then be contacted by a member of our team of experts and auctioneers to give you an independent view of the market price of your painting. In the event of a sale, our specialists will also advise you on the various options available to sell your work at the best price.