Joseph Smit Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Joseph Smit Art Value Price Guide

Jun. 14, 2025
JOSEPH SMIT, BRONTOSAURUS - REMAINS FOUND IN JURASSIC STRATA OF WYOMING, U.S.A.
Est: $12,000 - $16,000
SMIT, Joseph (1836-1929). Brontosaurus / (Remains found in Jurassic Strata of Wyoming, U.S.A.). Original Illustration in pen, ink and grey wash, heightened in white. c.1905-1912. 7 3/8” x 10 5/8” sheet. Original artwork for Henry R. Knipe’s Nebula to Man. Illustrated on page 74: “Brontosaurus / (Remains found in Jurassic Strata of Wyoming, U.S.A)”. Brontosaurus (meaning “thunder lizard” from Greek, bronti “thunder” and, sauros “lizard”) is a genus of gigantic quadruped sauropod dinosaurs. Although the type species, B. excelsus, had long been considered a species of the closely related Apatosaurus, researchers proposed in 2015 that Brontosaurus is a genus separate from Apatosaurus and that it contains three species: B. excelsus, B. yahnahpin, and B. parvus. Brontosaurus had a long, thin neck and a small head adapted for a herbivorous lifestyle, a bulky, heavy torso, and a long, whip-like tail. The various species lived during the Late Jurassic epoch, in the Morrison Formation of what is now North America, and were extinct by the end of the Jurassic. Adult individuals of Brontosaurus are estimated to have weighed up to 15 tonnes (17 short tons) and measured up to 22 metres (72 feet) long. As the archetypal sauropod, Brontosaurus is one of the best-known dinosaurs and has been featured in film, advertising, and postage stamps, as well as many other types of media. ----- Josef Smit’s dinosaur drawings are a high point in his fine draughtsmanship and unique in his vision to construct an image based on a written description rather than a physical specimen. Knipe’s preface indicates that Smit also learned much from Charles Knight’s drawings at the Museum of Natural History, New York. Josef Smit was born and raised in Lisse, in southern Holland. Later, in Leiden, his scientific fidelity came to the Natural History Museum of Leiden director Hermann Schlegel’s attention. He presented the artist with his first commission to paint a series of birds from the Dutch East Indies. Smit’s work for Schlegel earned him a significant commission to prepare hundreds of plates for Philip Sclater’s Exotic Ornithology. Once in London, the artist met other like-minded artist-naturalists and developed a reputation for preparing very realistic drawings. Because of his ability to delineate every detail of a specific bird, he was employed by several scientists to illustrate their reports and publications. His work stood apart from his contemporaries in his addition of thorough backgrounds of leaves, vines, and tree branches. Smit eventually became a key contributor to some of the most important natural history publications of the 19th and early-20th centuries. His work graced the tomes by John Gould, Edward Lear, Archibald Thorburn, Henry Constantine Richter, and J.G. Keulemans. His son, Pierre-Jacques Smit was also a skilled watercolorist.
Arader Galleries
Jun. 14, 2025
JOSEPH SMIT, TRICERATOPS - REMAINS FOUND IN CRETACEOUS STRATA OF WYOMING, U.S.A.
Est: $10,000 - $13,000
SMIT, Joseph (1836-1929). Triceratops (From remains found in Cretaceous strata of Wyoming, U.S.A.). Original Illustration in pen, ink and grey wash, heightened in white. c.1905-1912. 7 1/4” x 10 5/8” sheet The Triceratops, the ‘three-horned face’ dinosaur, was a ceratopsian herbivorous dinosaur that lived in what is now the United States during the Late Cretaceous period, 68-66 million years ago. The African Elephant-sized dinosaur was among the last non-avian dinosaurs to evolve before the cataclysmic extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago. One of the most abundant dinosaurs unearthed by paleontologists, Triceratops has been found all across the fossil-rich Hell Creek Formation in northeastern Montana. With its 3 horns, a parrot-like beak and a large frill that could reach nearly 1 metre (3 feet) across, the Triceratops skull is one of the largest and most striking of any land animal.The horns could have been used to fend off attacks from Tyrannosaurus. A partial Triceratops fossil collected in 1997 has a horn that was bitten off, with bite marks that match Tyrannosaurus. The fossil shows that the horn healed after being bitten, so at least some Triceratops survived these encounters. Puncture marks on fossil frills show that male Triceratops also used their horns to fight each other, probably to impress females. Reference: Natural History Museum, 2021; Castro, 2016. ----- Josef Smit’s dinosaur drawings are a high point in his fine draughtsmanship and unique in his vision to construct an image based on a written description rather than a physical specimen. Knipe’s preface indicates that Smit also learned much from Charles Knight’s drawings at the Museum of Natural History, New York. Josef Smit was born and raised in Lisse, in southern Holland. Later, in Leiden, his scientific fidelity came to the Natural History Museum of Leiden director Hermann Schlegel’s attention. He presented the artist with his first commission to paint a series of birds from the Dutch East Indies. Smit’s work for Schlegel earned him a significant commission to prepare hundreds of plates for Philip Sclater’s Exotic Ornithology. Once in London, the artist met other like-minded artist-naturalists and developed a reputation for preparing very realistic drawings. Because of his ability to delineate every detail of a specific bird, he was employed by several scientists to illustrate their reports and publications. His work stood apart from his contemporaries in his addition of thorough backgrounds of leaves, vines, and tree branches. Smit eventually became a key contributor to some of the most important natural history publications of the 19th and early-20th centuries. His work graced the tomes by John Gould, Edward Lear, Archibald Thorburn, Henry Constantine Richter, and J.G. Keulemans. His son, Pierre-Jacques Smit was also a skilled watercolorist.
Arader Galleries
Jan. 11, 2022
Joseph Smit Dutch, 1836-1929 Elotherium and Protoceras
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
Joseph Smit Dutch, 1836-1929 Elotherium and Protoceras Signed J. Smit (lr) Watercolor on paper, en grisaille 7 1/8 x 10 1/2 inches (18.1 x 26.7 cm) Literature: Henry R. Knipe, Nebula to Man, J.M. Dent & Co., London, 1905, illus. C
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Jul. 29, 2021
Joseph Smit Dutch, 1836-1929 Iguanodon
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Joseph Smit Dutch, 1836-1929 Iguanodon Signed J. Smit (ll); inscribed as titled on the support Watercolor and gouache on board, en grisaille 10 5/8 x 7 1/4 inches Unframed Literature: Henry R. Knipe, Nebula to Man, J.M. Dent & Co., London, 1905, to face p. 78, illus. C
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Dec. 01, 2019
19thC Hand Colored Lithograph, Meleagris Mexicana
Est: $400 - $600
19th century hand-colored lithograph, 'Meleagris Mexicana' by Joesph Wolf (1820-1889) and Joseph Smit (1836-1929), from 'Family of the Pheasants' by D.G. Elliot, published 1872, 19" x 23 3/4" (sight), framed 26" x 31", with book descriptive page verso. Provenance: From a North Andover, Massachusetts estate.
Kaminski Auctions
Dec. 08, 2018
Smit Watercolor of Ostriches
Est: $18,000 - $25,000
Smit, Joseph (Dutch, 1836-1929). Pair of Ostriches (Struthio camelus). Watercolor over pencil. 1888. 28" x 19 1/4" sheet, 38" x 29" framed. Joseph Smit was a Dutch zoological illustrator who was born in Lisse. He received his first commission from Hermann Schlegel at the Leiden Museum. Schlegel asked Smit to produce lithographs of birds residing in the Dutch East Indies. After completing the commission, Smit enjoyed a long and prolific career, provided breathtaking illustrations for Philip Lutley Scatlers Exotic Ornithology (1869), Joseph Wolfs Zoological Sketches (1861-1867) the Catalogue for the Birds in the British Museum (1874-1898), Lord Lilfords Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands (1885-1898), and Daniel Giraud Elliots Birds of Paradise (1873). Of the work Smit produced for Elliots home, the author raved: Mr. J. Smit has lithographed the drawings with his usual conscientious fidelity, and in his share of the work has left me nothing to desire. Smits son, Pierre Jacques Smit (1863-1960) was also a zoological illustrator of great talent. During his career, Smit worked closely with Joseph Wolf, Daniel Giraud Elliot, Joseph Keulemans, and Archibald Thorburn. This highly skilled group of artists produced some of the most aesthetically pleasing and scientifically accurate natural historical illustrations ever produced. These artists often worked at the behest of the esteemed Zoological Society of London. The nineteenth-century had witnessed a burgeoning of interest in the natural world as European ambitions surpassed the expansion of their nations to include the discovery of the natural wonders their foreign territories held. In Britain, scientific investigation into animal life was supported by the Zoological Society which was founded in 1826. The Zoological Society received its Royal Charter from George IV in 1828. Charles Darwin became a member in 1831. The Zoological Society played a major role in championing the ideas Darwin put forth in his groundbreaking Origin of Species (1859).
Arader Galleries
Dec. 19, 2016
Four Wolf and Smit Ornithological Lithographs
Est: $300 - $500
By Joseph Smit after Joseph Wolf, each hand tinted lithograph cut out and pasted down on paper backing, including "Horsfield's Kaleege", "The Rufous-Tailed Pheasant", "The Black-Necked Swan" and "Soemmerring's Pheasant".
Locati LLC
May. 23, 2003
1 piece. (Bird Print.) Color Lithograph. Smit, Joseph. Drepanorms Albertisi. Ca. 1870.
Est: $100 - $150
1 piece. (Bird Print.) Color Lithograph. Smit, Joseph. " Drepanorms Albertisi. " Ca. 1870. Folio sheet, 20 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches; 514 x 420 mm - image size. Framed.
Freeman's
Jan. 23, 2003
1 piece. (Bird Print.) Color Lithograph. Smit, Joseph. Drepanorms Albertisi. Ca. 1870.
Est: $200 - $300
1 piece. (Bird Print.) Color Lithograph. Smit, Joseph. " Drepanorms Albertisi. " Ca. 1870. Folio sheet, 20 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches; 514 x 420 mm - image size. Framed.
Freeman's