Auction Sales Indexes: Books, CD-ROM's and Online Services

The following is a guide to auction sale indexes, price guides and catalogs. Since individual auction houses do not issue their own indexes, the use of these compilations provides the best approach to finding sale information.

AUCTION SALES INDEXES:
Books, CD-ROM's and On-Line Services

1. Chart of Subjects Covered by Various Auction Indexes

Current Auction Indexes | Retrospective Auction Indexes | Price Guides

Table 1: Current Auction Indexes for Fine Art & Decorative Art

Current	Paintings	Drawings	Sculpture	Watercolors	Prints	Photographs	Decorative Arts
Art Price Index International	•	•	•		•
ADEC	•	•	•		•	•
*ArtFact	•	•	•	•	•		•
Art Sales Index	•	•	•	•
Ceramics & Glass Index							•
Gordons Print Price Annual Index					•
International Auction Records Index	•	•	•	•	•
Kunstpreis Jahrbuch Index	•	•	•		•	•	•
Leonard's Index	•	•	•
Print Price Index					•
World Collectors Annuary Index	•	•		•

* ArtFact also covers sales of jewelry.

 

Table 2: Retrospective Auction Indexes for Fine Art & Decorative Art

Retrospective	Paintings	Drawings	Sculpture	Watercolors	Prints	Photographs	Decorative Arts
Annuaire des Ventes	•	•		•
Annuaire International des Ventes	•	•	•	•	•
Art Price Annual	•	•	•		•	•	•
Art Prices Current	•	•			•
Art Sales By Graves	•
Artronix Index						•
Repertoire des Catalogues de Ventes	•	•	•		•		•
Scipio	•	•	•	•	•		•

 

Table 3: Price Guides For Fine Art & Decorative Arts

Price Guides	Paintings	Drawings	Sculpture	Watercolors	Prints	Decorative Arts
Davenport's	•	•	•	•	•
Encyclopedia of Modern Art Auctions	•	•		•
Jacobsen's	•		•		•
Official Guide to Fine Art	•	•	•
* Sotheby's International Price Guide						•

* Sotheby's International Price Guide also covers jewelry.

2. Current Auction Sales Indexes

ART PRICE INDEX INTERNATIONAL by Peter Hastings Falk

[MAZ+ 93-2082]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1992 to present (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Miniatures
• Sculpture
• Watercolors
• Prints

Scope: Over 1,500 sales from 366 auction houses representing 27 countries. Includes "bought-ins". Covers all sale prices beginning at $100.00. Very comprehensive.

ART SALES INDEX by Richard Hislop

[MAZ 87-1885]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1968 - present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Miniatures
• Sculpture
• Watercolours

Scope: Covers all periods
Notes: A widely used source. Runs from August to July. Over 100,000 sale results from 1,800 auctions per season. Covers over 27,000 artists. Drawings included from 1976. Bronzes/sculptures included from 1983/1984. Covers only works sold above a certain price. Also available in CD-Rom.

ADEC (ANNUAIRE DES COTES/ART PRICE ANNUAL)

[MAZ+ 91-1925]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1988 - present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Prints
• Photography
• Drawings
• Sculpture

Scope: Covers all periods
Notes: 1988 covers only French auctions. 1989 to present covers western Europe, North America, Japan & Scandinavia. Entries are in French or English.

KUNSTPREIS JAHRBUCH

[MAZ 82-666]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1978/79 to the present. (Annual)
Supersedes Art Price Annual

Contents:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Miniatures
• Icons
• Prints
• Photographs
• Sculpture
• Medals
• Furniture
• Decorative arts
• Illuminated manuscripts

Scope:

Excellent for coverage of decorative and applied arts. Many items illustrated in black and white reproductions. Includes many German auction houses.

CERAMICS AND GLASS: INTERNATIONAL AUCTION RECORDS by Sylvio Acatos

[MAZ 90-2534]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1989 to 1991 (Annual) Ceased publication in 1991.

Contents:

• Archeology
• Porcelain
• Faience
• Pottery
• Terra cotta
• Glass
• Stoneware

Scope: All periods
Notes: Contains articles, illustrations and glossary of terms. Ceased publication in 1991.

GORDON'S PRINT PRICE ANNUAL

[MDCF 78-1170]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1978 to present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Prints

Notes: Most authoritative and comprehensive source for prints. Contains more than 20,000 entries. Located in the Print Collection, Room 308.

INTERNATIONAL AUCTION RECORDS by Enrique Mayer

[MAZ]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1967 - present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Prints
• Drawings
• Sculpture
• Watercolors

Scope: Covers all periods
Notes: Over 60,000 sale results. Also includes artists in a lower price range. An excellent comprehensive resource. Also available in CD-Rom.

LEONARD'S INDEX OF ART AUCTIONS

[MAZ 85-583]
Auction Houses: American
Dates Covered: 1980 - present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Sculpture
• Drawings
• Mixed media

Scope: American artists sold in U.S. sales.
Notes: Provides the most comprehensive coverage of american art provided by any annual. Excellent for lesser known artists since it covers all price ranges. Also available in CD-Rom.

PHOTOGRAPHIC ART MARKET

[MFWA 82-1028]
Auction Houses: Sotheby's, Christie's, Swann Galleries and Butterfield & Butterfield.
Coverage: 1980 - Present

Contents:

• Photographs

 

PRINT PRICE INDEX '92 by Peter Hastings Falk

[MDCF 91-2233]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1990 to present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Prints only

Scope: Covers all periods
Notes: Main index is by artists. Eight other indexes organized by type of print: Botanical, Sporting, Topographical, Natural History, Japanese, Books, Portfolios, Posters. Located in Print Collection, Room 308.

WORLD COLLECTORS ANNUARY

[MAZ]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1946/49 to present. (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Pastels
• Drawings
• Gouaches
• Watercolours

Scope: Covers all periods
Notes: Selected coverage of a limited number of auction houses. Primarily U.S. and Western Europe but includes other countries: Japan, Israel, USSR and Sweden for some years. Contains an index for years 1946-1972.

3. Retrospective Auction Sales Indexes

AMERICAN ART AUCTION CATALOGUES 1785 - 1942, A UNION LIST by Harold Lancour

[*R-ART]
Auction Houses: American
Dates Covered: 1785 to 1942.

Notes: Compiled from holdings of auction catalogs of NYPL, Library of Congress, the American Antiquarian Society, Frick Art Reference Library and others. List of over 7,000 catalogues owned by 21 libraries. Listing is strictly chronological. Includes an index to more than 60,000 owners names.

ANNUAIRE INTERNATIONAL DES VENTES by Enrique Mayer

[MAZ]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1963-1966

Contents:

• Prints
• Drawings
• Watercolors
• Gouaches
• Pastels
• Paintings
• Sculpture

Scope: All periods
Notes: In French [Continued in English as International Auction Records]

ART PRICE ANNUAL

[MAZ]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1952/53 - to 1977/78 (Annual).
Continued by Kunstpreis Jahrbuch.

Contents:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Miniatures
• Icons
• Sculpture
• Prints
• Photographs
• Furniture
• Iluminated manuscripts
• Decorative arts

Scope: Excellent for coverage of decorative and applied arts. Some items accompanied by black and white reproductions. Includes many German auction houses.

ART PRICES CURRENT

[MAZ]
Auction Houses: Principal London, Continental & American auction houses.
Dates Covered: 1907-1916. New series begins 1921-1973. (Annual)

Contents:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Engravings
• Miniatures

Scope: All periods
Notes: Originally limited to sales conducted by Christie, Manson & Woods, London. New series (1921-1973) increased coverage to include representative prices from sales of Wilkinson & Hodge and Puttic & Simpson. Over the years other houses, primarily London and Scottish were included. Then expanded to include "principal London, Continental and American auction rooms". There is an index to artists and engravers names.

ART SALES: From Early in the Eighteenth Century To Early in the Twentieth Century (Mostly Old Master & Early English Pictures) by Algernon Graves

[MAZ]
Auction Houses: English Auction Houses
Dates Covered: Early 18th Century to Early Twentieth Century

Contents:

• Paintings

Scope: Mostly Old Master and Early English Pictures
Notes: In three volumes. Arranged alphabetically by artist then chronologically. All Turner paintings have been omitted.

ARTRONIX INDEX: Photographs at Auction 1951-1984, Edited by Bhupendra Karia

[MFW 87-1702]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1951-1984

Contents:

• Photographs
• Albums
• Books
• Portfolios
• Photogravures
• Daguerreotypes

Notes: Covers 264 photography auctions. Majority of sales from 1971 when Parke-Bernet began regular photography sales.

REPERTOIRE DES CATALOGUES DE VENT by Frits Lugt

[MAZ+]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1600 -1925

Contents:

• Paintings
• Medallions
• Cameos
• Drawings
• Tapestries
• Glass
• Intaglios
• Antiquities
• Ceramics
• Arms
• Miniatures
• Prints
• Objets d'art
• Bronzes
• Sculpture
• Furniture
• Autographs

Scope: All periods
Notes: In French. Each entry includes date, location of sale, name of collector, artist, merchant or proprietor, contents, auctioneers, libraries in which catalogue may be found. Work divided into four volumes: 1st volume covers 1600-1825, second volume covers 1826-1860, third volume covers 1861-1900, fourth covers 1901-1925.

ART SALES CATALOGUES 1600-1825 ON MICROFICHE

(Not at NYPL)
Auction Houses: International
Coverage: 1600 - 1825
Notes: This microfiche set reproduces all the text of the 11,065 sale catalogues presented in the first volume of Lugt (see above). Available at the Frick Collection.

SCIPIO (Sales Catalogs Index Project Input Online)

[MAZ 88-2402]
Dates Covered: 1981 to 1985

Contents:

• Paintings
• Prints
• Sculpture
• Ceramics
• Decorative Arts
• Furniture
• Drawings
• Jewelry
• Instruments
• Photographs
• Silver
• Watercolors
• Rugs
• Arms & Armour

Notes: The two volumes correspond to the Online Database. Contains holdings of auction catalogs at: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Cleveland Museum of Art, and supplemented by Library of the Getty Center and the National Gallery of Art Library. Divided into two sections: main index which runs chronologically, and the subject index which is divided into 41 categories listed in preface. This is a comprehensive listing of sales. It does not index individual objects.

4. Price Guides

DAVENPORT'S ART REFERENCE & PRICE GUIDE

[MAZ+ 90-1037]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1986 - 1990

Contents:

• Painting
• Watercolors
• Drawings
• Engravings
• Lithographs
• Sculptures

Scope: European and American market. Primarily 19th and 20th centuries.
Notes: Contains over 90,000 artists. Artists included must have sold at an auction that produces a catalog and publishes in a major reference book. Each artist contains: birth and death dates, where they lived, subject matters, average prices. Good for finding range of prices for artists works.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MODERN ART AUCTION PRICES by Michele Berard

[MAZ+ 72-590]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1961 - 1969.

Contents

• Drawings
• Watercolors
• Paintings
• Goauches
• Tempera
• Pastels

Scope: Painters since the impressionists.
Notes: Gives title, date, dimensions, auction house and date, price. In addition gives a little chronological summary of artist's career. Covers only artists who had at least one work auctioned for $2,000 for more.

JACOBSEN'S PAINTING PRICE GUIDE by Anita Jacobsen

[MAZ 78-533]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1967 to Present

Contents:

• Paintings
• Sculpture
• Bronzes
• Graphic Arts

Scope: Covers all periods for American and European artists; strongest in 19th and 20th century. Selected auction and art galleries.

OFFICIAL GUIDE TO FINE ART

[*R-ART 88-1911]
Auction Houses: International
Coverage: 1980 - 1985

Contents:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Sculpture

Notes: Serves to give an index of an artist's popularity as it offers a compilation of the high and low price range of an artist's works. Leonard's is the parent volume of this guide.

SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL PRICE GUIDE

[MAZ 88-4040]
Auction Houses: International
Dates Covered: 1984 to Present

Contents:

• Furniture
• Ceramics
• Silver
• Clocks & Watches
• Jewellery
• Lacquer
• Toys & Dolls
• Decorative Arts
• Applied Arts
• Arms & Armor

Scope: Prices for objects sold at Sotheby's around the world. 1989-1990 edition has over 6,000 of the 100,000 objects sold. Gives date of sale, price, description and all objects are illustrated, some in color. Excellent resource for decorative arts.

5. Electronic Resources for Auction Sales

ARTFACT

Dates Covered: 1986 to present

Contents:

• over 1,000,000 auction records
• fine arts
• decorative arts
• full text of catalogue entries
• contains images

ARTNET On-Line Services

Fee based. By subscription.
Dates Covered: 1985 to present

Contents:

• over 1.5 million artworks
• 500 auction houses in 28 countries
• over 600,000 full-color images
• fine arts

Searchable by:

• artist name
• auction house name
• title key word
• medium
• size or price
• work date and sale date

ARTNET is not available at NYPL.

ART SALES INDEX

Dates Covered: 1990-1995
Contents:

• Over 455,000 auction sales
• 77,000 artists
• From 10,000 auctions
• 510 auction houses

LEONARD'S: Combined Price Index of Art Auctions

Dates Covered: September 1980-August 1994
Also includes prices from Leonard's ANNUAL Price Index of Prints, Posters & Photographs. Volumes 1-3, August 1991-June 1994

MAYER'S International Auction Records

Dates Covered: 1988 to 1993

Contents:

• 400,000 auction records

Searchable by:

• artist
• art form
• school
• title of work
• price
• year produced
• sold by
• city
• date of sale

SCIPIO (Sales Catalogs Index Project Input Online)

[MAZ 88-2402]
Dates Covered: 1981 to 1985

Contents:

• Paintings
• Prints
• Sculpture
• Ceramics
• Decorative Arts
• Furniture
• Drawings
• Jewelry
• Instruments
• Photographs
• Silver
• Watercolors
• Rugs
• Arms & Armour

Notes: Contains holdings of auction catalogs at: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Cleveland Museum of Art, and supplemented by Library of the Getty Center and the National Gallery of Art Library. Searchable by date of sale, auction house, phrase or word, title, phrase or word, place of sale, collector/seller.

6. Publications of Sotheby's and Christie's

SOTHEBY'S PREVIEW

[JFM 89-36]
Dates Covered: Nov/Dec. 1986 to present.
Notes: Good for information on Sotheby's news, and upcoming issues. Includes articles as well as a listing of sales by location and offices worldwide.

CHRISTIE'S INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

[JFM 88-87]
Dates Covered: April/May 1984 to present.
Notes: Good for information on upcoming sale objects, international sales calendar, and international offices. Also contains articles. NYPL chiefly holds American edition.

SOTHEBY'S ART AT AUCTION

[MAZ 90-1869]
Dates Covered: 1986/87 to present. (Annual)
Notes: Contains the most notable sales for the year, illustrated with color plates. Supercedes Art at Auction. (see below)

ART AT AUCTION

[MAZ]
Dates Covered: 1962/63 to 1985/86. (Annual)
Notes: Contains Sotheby's most notable sales for the year, illustrated with color and black/white plates. Supercedes Sotheby's annual review of the season (see below).

SOTHEBY'S ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE SEASON

[MAZ]
Dates Covered: 1956/57 - 1961
Notes: Contains the most notable London sales for the year.

CHRISTIE'S REVIEW OF THE SEASON

[MAZ+ 92-886]
Dates Covered: 1972 to present (Annual)
Notes: Contains color plates of notable sale items for year. Contains an index. Supercedes Christie's Review of the Year. (see below)

CHRISTIE'S REVIEW OF THE YEAR

[MAZ]
Dates Covered: 1957 to 1970/71. (Annual)
Notes: Contains notable sales for the year.

7. Selected List of Sotheby's and Christie's Auction Catalogs at The New York Public Library

The following is a list of some of the most popular Sotheby and Christie auction catalogs, call numbers and acquisition dates for NYPL. The most current--approximately the last six months--can be found in the Periodicals Section, Room 108. Older issuses may be read in the Main Reading Room of the General Research Division. For titles not on this list, check the catalog.

CHRISTIE'S

Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd., (Amsterdam) Auction Catalogs.
[JFL 86-92]
Dates: March 21, 1977 to present

Christie's Swire (Hong Kong) Auction Catalogs
[JFM 92-703]
Dates: September 25, 1989 to present

Christie, Manson, & Woods (London) Auction Catalogs
[*GH]
Dates: April 28, 1856 to present

Christie's Robson Lowe (London) Auction Catalogs
[JFL 88-93]
Dates: January 11-12, 1984 to present

Christie's South Kensington (London) Auction Catalogs
[JFL 85-292]
Dates: May 31, 1983 to present

Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc. (New York) Auction Catalogs
[JFM 79-197]
Dates: May 16, 1977 to present

Christie's East (New York) Auction Catalogs
[JFM 86-149]
Dates: April 6, 1979 to present

SOTHEBY'S

Sotheby Mak Van Waay B.V. (Amsterdam) Auction Catalogs
[JFM 86-624]
Dates: June 19, 1979 to present

Sotheby, Firm, Auctioneers (London) Auction Catalogs
[*GH]
Dates: June 7, 1813 to present

Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc. (New York) Auction Catalogs
[JFM 74-147]
Dates: April 4, 1972 to present

Supersedes [Parke-Bernet Galleries, inc., New York]
[*GH]
Dates: 1938 - March 28, 1972

Sotheby's Arcade Auctions. (New York) Auction Catalogs
[In Periodicals Section]
Dates: Nov. 16, 1985 to present

NEWSLETTERS/PREVIEWS

Christie's International Magazine
[JFM 88-87]
Dates: April/May 1984 to present

Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc. Auction News From Christies.
[In Periodical Division]
Dates: Jan/Feb 1983 to present

Sotheby's Newsletter. (New York)
[JFM 86-445]
Dates: April, 1981 to present

Sotheby's (Firm). Sotheby's Preview. (London)
[JFM 89-36]
Nov./Dec. 1986 to present

Written by Lee Robinson, with markup assistance from Caroline Gifford
June, 1996