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Oliver Messel

British · 1904–1978 · Painter

Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel was an English artist and one of the foremost stage designers of the 20th century. (Wikipedia)

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38auction results2015–2026years recorded95%sold (36)$1.9kSign up free to seemedian price

Record prices

  1. Oliver Messel, Eight costume designs, to include three from Gigi, 1973, variously watercolour, gouache and pencilEight costume designs, to include three from GigiBonhams · £10,240≈ $13,821≈ €12,139Sign up to see
  2. Oliver Messel, Seven costume designs for opera and ballet, to include examples for The Sleeping Beauty, 1946 and The Marriage of Figaro, 1955, Comprising designs for:Seven costume designs for opera and ballet, to include examples for The Sleeping Beauty, 1946 and The Marriage of FigaroBonhams · £7,040≈ $9,502≈ €8,345Sign up to see
  3. Oliver Messel, Set Design for The Country Wife, 1936, oil on canvasSet Design for The Country WifeBonhams · $7,680≈ £5,917≈ €7,110Sign up to see

Oliver Messel’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Lot images as published by each auction house (39 lots with an image). Images from houses that reserve their photographs are shown as small thumbnails linking to the house’s site.

Oliver Messel, Two Costume Designs for Queen of Spades, watercolour, chalk and pencil on paper
Two Costume Designs for Queen of Spades
Bonhams · Sep 22, 2026
£1,408Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, THREE SKETCHES FOR WEDDING DECORATIONS - A CIRCULAR TEMPLE OF TRESTLED COLUMNS; A SIMPLE LITTLE TENT; SKETCH FOR THE ANTE ROOM, 1952, ink, charcoal, watercolour and gouache on paper
THREE SKETCHES FOR WEDDING DECORATIONS - A CIRCULAR TEMPLE OF TRESTLED COLUMNS; A SIMPLE LITTLE TENT; SKETCH FOR THE ANTE ROOM, 1952
Lyon & Turnbull · Oct 30, 2025
£882Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Eight costume designs for Comus, New Theatre, 1942, variously watercolour, gouache and pencil
Eight costume designs for Comus, New Theatre, 1942
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,920Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A costume design for Stewart Granger as 'Apollodorus' in Caesar and Cleopatra, 1945, watercolour and pencil
A costume design for Stewart Granger as 'Apollodorus' in Caesar and Cleopatra, 1945
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£704Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Four headdress designs for Vivien Leigh as 'Cleopatra' in Ceasar and Cleopatra, 1946, pencil, three with gold paint
Four headdress designs for Vivien Leigh as 'Cleopatra' in Ceasar and Cleopatra, 1946
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£3,584Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A set design for 'The Fairy of the Enchanted Garden' from The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Opera House, 1946, watercolour, gouache, pen and ink and charcoal
A set design for 'The Fairy of the Enchanted Garden' from The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Opera House, 1946
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£2,816Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Seven costume designs for opera and ballet, to include examples for The Sleeping Beauty, 1946 and The Marriage of Figaro, 1955, Comprising designs for:
Seven costume designs for opera and ballet, to include examples for The Sleeping Beauty, 1946 and The Marriage of Figaro, 1955
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£7,040Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Two costume designs for Tough at the Top, Adelphi Theatre, 1949, watercolour and pencil
Two costume designs for Tough at the Top, Adelphi Theatre, 1949
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£768Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Eight costume designs, to include an example for Ariadne auf Naxos, 1950, variously watercolour, gouache and pencil, some with pen and ink and gold/silver paint
Eight costume designs, to include an example for Ariadne auf Naxos, 1950
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,280Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A set design for Ring Round the Moon, Globe Theatre, 1950, gouache, watercolour, chalk and pencil
A set design for Ring Round the Moon, Globe Theatre, 1950
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£2,048Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Three designs for the decoration of the exterior of The Dorchester Hotel for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953, watercolour, gouache, crayon and pencil
Three designs for the decoration of the exterior of The Dorchester Hotel for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£5,376Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A costume design for a ballerina, probably for Homage to the Queen, Royal Opera House 1953, gouache and pencil
A costume design for a ballerina, probably for Homage to the Queen, Royal Opera House 1953
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,408Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Two costume designs, possibly for Le Comte Ory, circa 1954
Two costume designs, possibly for Le Comte Ory, circa 1954
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,664Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Three costume designs, circa 1949-1956, watercolour, gouache and pencil, one example with traces of glitter
Three costume designs, circa 1949-1956
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£614Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Three costume designs for Samson, Royal Opera House, 1958, watercolour, gouache, pencil and gold paint, one also with silver paint
Three costume designs for Samson, Royal Opera House, 1958
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,536Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A design for the cover of the 1958 Glyndebourne Festival Opera programme, watercolour, gouache, pencil and gold ink
A design for the cover of the 1958 Glyndebourne Festival Opera programme
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£704Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A costume design for 'The Lady', pencil, gouache and watercolour
A costume design for 'The Lady'
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£640Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Three costume designs for 'The Feldmarschallin' and 'Sophie' in Der Rosenkavalier, Glyndebourne, 1959, watercolour, gouache and pencil, the 'Sophie' example with gold paint
Three costume designs for 'The Feldmarschallin' and 'Sophie' in Der Rosenkavalier, Glyndebourne, 1959
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£832Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Five costume designs for Twang!!, 1965, variously watercolour, gouache, pen and ink and pencil, two with gold paint
Five costume designs for Twang!!, 1965
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,536Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Eight costume designs, to include three from Gigi, 1973, variously watercolour, gouache and pencil
Eight costume designs, to include three from Gigi, 1973
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£10,240Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A costume design for a lady in a riding habit, watercolour, pencil and gold pen
A costume design for a lady in a riding habit
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025
£1,408Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, A pair of costume designs for 'The Dark is Light Enough', watercolour and black chalk over trace of pencil, heightened with white
A pair of costume designs for 'The Dark is Light Enough'
Bonhams · Apr 15, 2025
£1,152Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Set Design for The Country Wife, 1936, oil on canvas
Set Design for The Country Wife, 1936
Bonhams · Oct 24, 2024
$7,680Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Fantaisies Oceanographiques Set Model, watercolor and ink on hand-cut paper
Fantaisies Oceanographiques Set Model
Bonhams · Oct 24, 2024
$3,584Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Costume design for Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), 1955, gouache and pencil on paper
Costume design for Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), 1955
Bonhams · Oct 24, 2024
$832Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Set Design for Alexander Pushkin's Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades), 1949, mixed media on paper
Set Design for Alexander Pushkin's Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades), 1949
Bonhams · Oct 24, 2024
$1,408Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Portrait of a Young Barbadian Man, circa 1963, charcoal on paper
Portrait of a Young Barbadian Man, circa 1963
Bonhams · Oct 24, 2024
$640Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Portrait of Katharine Cornell as The Countess, circa 1955, gouache and pencil on paper
Portrait of Katharine Cornell as The Countess, circa 1955
Bonhams · Oct 24, 2024
$2,816Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Untitled, 1946, 1946 watercolour and gouache
Untitled, 1946
Sworders · Jul 9, 2024
£300Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Portrait Sketch of a Young Man, 1930, oil on canvas
Portrait Sketch of a Young Man, 1930
Toovey's · Jun 12, 2024
£2,400Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Portrait Sketch of a Young Man, 1930, oil on canvas
Portrait Sketch of a Young Man, 1930
Toovey's · Nov 29, 2023
£2,400Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, CEILING LIGHT, CIRCA 1960, 1960
CEILING LIGHT, CIRCA 1960, 1960
Lyon & Turnbull · Oct 12, 2022
£819Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, CEILING LIGHT, CIRCA 1960, 1960
CEILING LIGHT, CIRCA 1960, 1960
Lyon & Turnbull · Apr 20, 2022
£3,500Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Untitled, pencil and pastel 36 x 23.5cm (3) Provenance: Each with Wright Hepburn Gallery labels.
Untitled
Sworders · Dec 7, 2021
£300Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Head Study of Mrs Maud Messel, oil on canvas-board
Head Study of Mrs Maud Messel
Toovey's · Sep 11, 2019
£1,400Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Costume Design For Cleopatra Ii, watercolour 36cm by 25cm
Costume Design For Cleopatra Ii
Olympia Auctions · Mar 31, 2015
£480Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, Costume Design For Cleopatra Ii, watercolour 36cm by 25cm
Costume Design For Cleopatra Ii
Olympia Auctions · Mar 31, 2015
£750Sign up free to see
Oliver Messel, TWO WORKS: 'COSTUME DESIGN OF A GENTLEMEN IN UNIFORM' AND 'HENRI TROCHARD IN MY THREE ANGELS', mixed media (2)
TWO WORKS: 'COSTUME DESIGN OF A GENTLEMEN IN UNIFORM' AND 'HENRI TROCHARD IN MY THREE ANGELS'
Lyon & Turnbull · Jun 23, 2026
Oliver Messel, Three costume designs for 'Countess Ranevskaya' in The Queen of Spades, 1949, watercolour, gouache and pencil, the second with gold paint
Three costume designs for 'Countess Ranevskaya' in The Queen of Spades, 1949
Bonhams · Jun 3, 2025

Related artists — British, born 1879–1929

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