William Raphael
William Raphael
1833 - 1914
OSA PPCM RCA SCA
Though he is best known for his portraits and lively Canadian genre scenes, William Raphael also responded to the Canadian landscape and captured its splendor and its vast nature. Raphael employed light to establish figures in space, which he derived from German Romantic painting of the early nineteenth century. His work strove to show the romantic elements of Canadian life as viewed through the eyes of an immigrant.
Raphael was born in Nakel, Prussia, of Orthodox Jewish background. He studied art at the Berlin School of Fine Art under Johann Eduard Wolff and Karl Begas. In 1956, he first moved to New York and found employment as a portraitist before immigrating to Montreal in 1957 where he settled. He spent the remainder of his life teaching at various schools and colleges, and in 1881 formed his own successful school. He also found work through commissions for portraits and religious scenes for Catholic orders. In 1880, Raphael was accepted into the Ontario Society of Artists and then became a founding member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts.
Raphael’s painting entitled Behind Bonsecours Market, Montreal was painted nine years after he arrived in Montreal and was acquired by the National Gallery of Canada in 1957. It is a complex work that uses studied light effects to create a luminous quality.
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Untitled (Townscape) by William Raphael sold for $21,250
William Raphael
Untitled (Townscape)
20 x 25 in, 50.8 x 63.5 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $21,250 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art on Thursday, August 25, 2022
Old Pals by William Raphael sold for $10,350
William Raphael
Old Pals
10 1/2 x 8 in, 26.7 x 20.3 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $9,000 - $12,000 CDN
Sold for: $10,350 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian and Irish Art Fall 2003 on Friday, November 28, 2003
Self Portrait of the Artist by William Raphael sold for $7,500
William Raphael
Self Portrait of the Artist
24 x 20 in, 61 x 50.8 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 CDN
Sold for: $7,500 CDN (premium included)
Historical Art on Thursday, November 29, 2018
Fireside Chat in a Clearing by William Raphael sold for $3,750
William Raphael
Fireside Chat in a Clearing
24 x 42 in, 61 x 106.7 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $3,750 CDN (premium included)
July 2017 - 1st Session on Thursday, July 27, 2017
Country Village by William Raphael sold for $2,300
William Raphael
Country Village
11 1/2 x 17 1/4 in, 29.2 x 43.8 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000 CDN
Sold for: $2,300 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2002 on Thursday, May 02, 2002
Child with Cat by William Raphael sold for $1,750
William Raphael
Child with Cat
17 x 14 in, 43.2 x 35.6 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,750 CDN (premium included)
Historical Art on Thursday, November 29, 2018
The Artist’s Daughter, Bertha by William Raphael sold for $1,500
William Raphael
The Artist’s Daughter, Bertha
18 1/4 x 13 in, 46.4 x 33 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,500 CDN (premium included)
Impressionist & Historical Art on Saturday, June 01, 2019
Still Life with Blossoms by William Raphael sold for $1,125
William Raphael
Still Life with Blossoms
9 3/4 x 8 x 1 in, 24.8 x 20.3 x 2.5 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500 CDN
Sold for: $1,125 CDN (premium included)
19th & Early 20th Century Art on Thursday, June 25, 2020
Cottage and Stream by William Raphael sold for $550
William Raphael
Cottage and Stream
9 3/4 x 18 in, 24.8 x 45.7 cm
watercolour
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500 CDN
Sold for: $550 CDN (premium included)
Autumn 98 on Thursday, November 05, 1998