John Simmons Paintings & Artwork for Sale | John Simmons Art Value Price Guide

Feb. 11, 2025
JOHN SIMMONS (BRITISH 1823-1876), ITALIAN BEAUTY
Est: £700 - £1,000
JOHN SIMMONS (BRITISH 1823-1876)ITALIAN BEAUTYWatercolour with bodycolour and inkSigned (lower right, to stone ledge)49 x 39.5cm (19¼ x 15½ in.)Provenance: Christ Beetles, LondonFrom the estate of the Late David Pike, sold to benefit The Art Fund Exhibited: London, Christ Beetles Gallery, Chris Beetles Summer Show, 2019, n. 35
Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales
Oct. 24, 2023
TWO WATERCOLOUR STUDIES OF GIRLS' HEADS England, 19th century, attributed to John Simmons (1823 - 1876)
Est: £120 - £160
TWO WATERCOLOUR STUDIES OF GIRLS' HEADS England, 19th century, attributed to John Simmons (1823 - 1876) TWO WATERCOLOUR STUDIES OF GIRLS' HEADS PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION England, 19th century, attributed to John Simmons (1823 - 1876) Opaque pigments on paper, both bust portrait studies depicting three-quarter views of young maidens with flowers in their hair and diaphanous robes, in white oval card mounts, glazed and framed, each 40.8cm x 35.5cm including the frame. The ethereal, eerie, and dream-like style of these portraits can be attributed to John Simmons (not Joseph Simmons, as mentioned on the back of each frame), a British miniature painter and illustrator, mostly known for his illustrations of Shakespearean plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Chiswick Auctions
Jul. 14, 2021
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876) A day out on the seashore 30.1 x 36.5cm (11 7/8 x 14 3/8in). oval
Est: £800 - £1,200
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876) A day out on the seashore watercolour and pencil heightened with white 30.1 x 36.5cm (11 7/8 x 14 3/8in). oval For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Feb. 11, 2020
John Simmons (1823-1876),
Est: £5,000 - £7,000
JOHN SIMMONS (1823-1876) TITANIA IN THE FAIRY KINGDOM Signed and dated ' J. SIMMONS / 1871 ' , watercolour on paper 40.8 x 51.5 cm John Simmons was a British miniature painter and illustrator, known primarily for his watercolours of ethereal fairyland scenes, often illustrating Shakespearian or other literary works (such as his illustrations for ' A Midsummer Night ' s Dream ' ). He was one of several popular Victorian artists who together created ' the genre of the forest idyll ' in their fairy paintings. They are often grouped with the Pre-Raphaelites. Simmons lived in Bristol, and also painted portraits. He was elected to membership of the Bristol Academy of the Fine Arts in 1849. He died in November 1876 and is buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol. The typical fairy painting is strongly rooted in the literary influences of Romanticism, as well as in the Victorian cultural period. Among the most significant of these influences were the themes of Shakespeare ' s A Midsummer Night ' s Dream and The Tempest. Other literary works, such as Edmund Spenser ' s 'The Faerie Queene' and Alexander Pope ' s 'The Rape of the Lock' have been cited as contributing influences as well. Interest in the fairy painting genre saw a revival in the 19th century, allowing observers of the imaginary world shown in the paintings a respite from the austerity of the Victorian way of life. The majority of Simmons ' paintings are simple and generally portray one or two main figures set within a framework of foliage. This example is one of his more ambitious compositions. Titania was frequently a subject of his artwork, shown delicately draped in a variety of poses. He portrays the fairy queen as a paradigm of Victorian female beauty using the winding flowers and convolvulus as a decorative motif. Blurring the boundaries between reality and dreams, he creates a poetic vision. According to Christopher Wood, Simmons ' technique demonstrates the influence of Joseph Noel Paton, who utilised a very detailed style. Wood also suggested further influences came from William Edward Frost and William Etty. Simmons ' paintings of fairies are given a surreal effect by his skilful use of light and the realistic detail he adopts for portraying the animals and plants. Wood described Simmons ' 'A Fairy among Convolvulus' as 'a typical Simmons pin-up' and hypothesised the paintings were 'distinctly titillating'. Other pieces of artwork by Simmons with a fairy theme include: 'Hermia and the Fairies', which was also based on Shakespeare ' s 'A Midsummer Night ' s Dream' and completed in 1861; 'The Honey Bee Steals from the Bumble Bees'; and 'The Evening Star'. This example may well be a scene from 'A Midsummer Night ' s Dream'. There is a much larger human figure with a sword clad in the mist, blissfully unaware of the fantastic creatures in the foreground.
Sworders
Dec. 11, 2018
John Simmons (1823-1876) - Titania in the forest
Est: £8,000 - £12,000
John Simmons (1823-1876) Titania in the forest pencil and watercolour heightened with touches of bodycolour on paper 17 x 21 in. (43.2 x 53.4 cm.)
Christie's
Jul. 11, 2018
John Simmons (1823-1876) - Titania
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
John Simmons (1823-1876) Titania pencil and watercolour heightened with touches of white and gum arabic on paper 9 ¾ x 8 in. (24.7 x 20.3 cm.), framed as an oval
Christie's
May. 26, 2018
John SIMMONS (1823-1876)
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
John SIMMONS (1823-1876) At the bottom of the garden - 1871 Aquarelle sur papier Signé et daté en bas à droite. 40,5 x 51,5 cm Provenance : Vente Bonhams du 25.06.2002
Carvajal SVV
Aug. 02, 2017
John Simmons (1823 - 1876), watercolour - portrait of a pretty young lady,
Est: £150 - £250
John Simmons (1823 - 1876), watercolour - portrait of a pretty young lady, signed, in glazed gilt frame, 25cm x 20cm
Reeman Dansie
Mar. 03, 2016
*Attributed to John Simmons (1823-1876). 'The Moth and the Flame',
Est: £500 - £800
*Attributed to John Simmons (1823-1876). 'The Moth and the Flame', circular watercolour and gouache on paper, signed lower centre, diameter 380 mm (15 ins), old gilt frame, glazed Provenance: From a private collection, Bristol, UK. (1)
Dominic Winter Auctions
Jul. 15, 2015
JOHN SIMMONS | The Morning Star
Est: £20,000 - £30,000
watercolour with bodycolour
Sotheby's
May. 06, 2015
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876) A scene from A Midsummer Nigh
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876) A scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream 28 9/16 x 37 5/8in (72.5 x 95.5cm)
Bonhams
Jun. 25, 2014
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876) Scene from A
Est: £40,000 - £60,000
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876) Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream signed and dated 'J.Simmons./1873.' (lower right) watercolour 72.5 x 95.5cm (28 9/16 x 37 5/8in). Provenance Purchased for £25 from Grindley and Palmer, Liverpool, 1935 Gifted to the present owner, 1965
Bonhams
Aug. 06, 2013
John Simmons (1823-1876) - Watercolour - Half
Est: £500 - £700
John Simmons (1823-1876) - Watercolour - Half length portrait of a girl in a landscape, 10ins x 6.5ins, in gilt moulded frame and glazed
Canterbury Auction Galleries
Jul. 10, 2013
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876)
Est: £40,000 - £60,000
Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream signed and dated 'J.Simmons./1873.' (lower right) watercolour 72.5 x 95.5cm (28 9/16 x 37 5/8in).
Bonhams
May. 04, 2012
JOHN SIMMONS
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
BRITISH 1823-1876 HERMIA AND LYSANDER, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM signed J. Simmons and dated 1870 (lower left) watercolor heightened with gouache on paper laid down on canvas 36 by 29 in. 89 by 74 cm
Sotheby's
Oct. 25, 2011
John Simmons (1823-1876)
Est: £800 - £1,200
John Simmons (1823-1876) A day out on the seashore pencil and watercolour heightened with touches of white, oval 11½ x 13 5/8 in. (29.4 x 34.7 cm.)
Christie's
Apr. 24, 2009
John Simmons , British 1823-1876 Hermia and Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream watercolor heightened with gouache on paper laid down on canvas
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
signed J. Simmons and dated 1870 (lower left) watercolor heightened with gouache on paper laid down on canvas
Sotheby's
Dec. 09, 2008
John Simmons , 1823-1876 the morning star watercolour with bodycolour
Est: £30,000 - £40,000
signed l.r.: J. Simmons watercolour with bodycolour
Sotheby's
Nov. 21, 2007
By the window
Est: £1,000 - £1,500
John Simmons (1823-1876) By the window pencil and watercolour, heightened with touches of white 12¼ x 9 7/8 in. (31.1 x 25 cm.)
Christie's
Mar. 09, 2004
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876)
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Titania sleeping in the moonlight protected by her fairies watercolour and bodycolour 50.5 x 59 cm. (20 x 23 1/2 in.) (arched top).
Bonhams
May. 21, 2003
John Simmons (British, 1823-1876)
Est: £1,000 - £1,500
signed and dated 1870, watercolour heightened with bodycolour
Bonhams