How to Sell Maritime Pictures with Sotheby's

Maritime Art Consigned with Sotheby's

Get Started with an Estimate

Get Started with an Estimate

Wonder how much your Maritime art might be worth and how to sell it? Simply follow the steps below and Sotheby's will recommend the best approach for selling your maritime picture of a ship captain, ocean landscape, river, bay, inlet, shoreline or sailing vessel.

Get an Estimate
A small white boat docked to to the side of a bay, with a hill in the distant with small white cottage, in twilight.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • When is the best time to sell Maritime Art?
    Exceptional marine artwork is in demand throughout the year, and there is no better time to consign a painting of a ship, drawing of the sea or a nautical sculpture with Sotheby’s. We have the unrivaled ability to maximise the value of your artwork through our international network as we leverage the extensive knowledge of our specialists. If you wish to sell a maritime painting or consign marine artwork, simply send photographs and other background information to Sotheby’s for a free estimate.
  • Why is Maritime Art highly collectible?
    Enthusiasts and connoisseurs who celebrate the art of the sea are eager to buy and sell a maritime painting, picture, drawing or sculpture that depict a beach, storm, calm, battle scene, naval parade, naval action, seaport, fishing village, shipwreck, coastal or river view, sea travel, seascape, ship portrait, portrait of a ship captains or naval figure, royal ship or sketchbook by a naval artist or officer. Especially collectible is original authentic marine art that documents an important sea vessel or historic event at sea.
  • Should I sell my Maritime painting through an auction or a dealer?
    Sotheby’s is the established market leader for Maritime Art and marine oil paintings and watercolour paintings. Our auctions are followed by an international audience of top galleries, dealers and private collectors. When you sell a nautical painting, ocean painting, drawing, sculpture or ship photo in a Sotheby’s auction, you gain exposure to a large and competitive group of global buyers who aggressively compete to purchase fine art. When you are ready to consign a sea painting at auction, Sotheby’s can help you realise the highest price.

More information on how to sell with Sotheby's

Sotheby’s is your best resource to buy, consign or sell a maritime painting, print, ship picture, portrait miniature, drawing, photography, sculpture or other rare and valuable marine art depicting an ocean, sea, ship, boat, sailboat, yacht, sailing, yachting or a harbor by a Maritime Art artist such as Ivan Konstantinovich Alvazovsky, John Wilson Carmichael, Montague Dawson, Edward Hopper, Charles Booking, Peter Monamy, Jan van de Cappelle, Alfred Wallis, Hendrick Jacobsz Dubbels, Thomas Luny, Claude-Joseph Vernet, Jamie Medlin, Clifford Warren Ashley, Bernard Buffet, Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, Robert Salmon, Francis Holman, J.M.W. Turner, William Hodges, George Stubbs, Willem van de Veldes (Elder and Younger), Hans Holbein, William Hogarth or Thomas Gainsborough.