Born in England in 1804, John Gould, working with his wife Elizabeth and other artists, became a celebrated ornithologist and painter of birds and spent much of his life travelling in pursuit of this interest. He illustrated some 900 species of Australian and New Guinean birds, discovering at least 300 new species in his studies.
John Gould is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1976 of 6,257, of which 5,237 (84%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $188,500 for The Birds of Australia sold by Sotheby's in September 2005. This year 33 works have been offered for sale. Works by John Gould are held by the Queensland Art Gallery, Ian Potter Museum of Art and a further four major public national galleries (see list below).
John Gould is listed in the following standard biographical references:
Could the second and subsequent works by this artist sold after June 9, 2010 for over $1,000 be liable for the Artists' Resale Royalty? More info…
No, ineligible. The artist has been deceased for more than 70 years.
The Australian Art Sales Digest is a database of over 610,000 works by more than 12,000 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, and an additional 36,000 foreign and other artists, offered for sale by auction in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1970s to the present day.
Access to the database is available on either a monthly or annual subscription. During the subscription period you have unlimited access to the site. If you would like to subscribe, please proceed to our Subscription Form.