Born on the Isle of Wight in 1817, Elyard arrived in Australia in 1821. He studied under Conrad Martens and John Skinner Prout, working with the Colonial Public Service until 1864. He painted in both watercolours and oils frequently on a large scale. In the 1840s he became mentally disturbed and later published many pamphlets to vindicate his activities while insane. In 1857 he started a journal, 'The Salem Standard' for which he imported a printing press with Hebrew type. He became a Justice of the Peace and Anglican Lay Preacher.
The earliest auction listing we have for Samuel Elyard is in 1971 and in total 170 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 102 (60%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $3,510 for S. E's Bedroom Merindah, April sold by Barsby Auctions in April 2018. This year 3 works have been offered for sale. Works by Samuel Elyard are held by the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Art Gallery of NSW.
Samuel Elyard 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.
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