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William Harnett, My Gems

William Harnett

American · 1848–1892 · Painter

William Michael Harnett was an American painter known for his trompe-l'œil still lifes of ordinary objects. (Wikipedia)

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7auction results2020–2025years recorded100%sold (7)$19kSign up free to seemedian price

Record prices

  1. William Harnett, Still Life with Books, 1881, oil on canvasStill Life with BooksBonhams · $229,100≈ £174,366≈ €197,670Sign up to see
  2. William Harnett, Still Life with Quill and Pipe, 1879, oil on canvasStill Life with Quill and PipeBonhams · $64,000≈ £51,041≈ €59,713Sign up to see
  3. Still Life with Jug, Bread and NewspaperBrunk Auctions · $32,000≈ £26,161≈ €29,152Sign up to see

William Harnett’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 (9 lots with an image). Images from houses that reserve their photographs are shown as small thumbnails linking to the house’s site.

William Harnett, Still Life with Books, 1881, oil on canvas
Still Life with Books, 1881
Bonhams · Nov 18, 2025
$229,100Sign up free to see
Still Life with Apples and Wine Glass, 1876
Brunk Auctions · Mar 13, 2025
$17,000Sign up free to see
William Harnett, Still Life (Desktop with Book and Papers), 1870, watercolor
Still Life (Desktop with Book and Papers), 1870
Michaan's Auctions · Jun 17, 2024
$1,230Sign up free to see
Mynheer's Lunch, 1879
Brunk Auctions · May 9, 2024
$19,000Sign up free to see
William Harnett, Still Life with Quill and Pipe, 1879, oil on canvas
Still Life with Quill and Pipe, 1879
Bonhams · May 1, 2024
$64,000Sign up free to see
The Old Violin, 1886
Brunk Auctions · Mar 25, 2023
$850Sign up free to see
Untitled
Helmuth Stone Gallery · Apr 18, 2021
$4,410Sign up free to see
Still Life with Jug, Bread and Newspaper, 1881
Brunk Auctions · Mar 28, 2020
$32,000Sign up free to see
Untitled, 1880
Helmuth Stone Gallery · Sep 24, 2023

Works in museum collections

Open-access images (public domain, CC0 or CC BY) from museum collections, each shown with its credit line and licence.

William Harnett, My Gems
My Gems1888 · oil on wood
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Avalon Foundation — Open Acc…
William Harnett, The Old Violin
The Old Violin1886 · oil on canvas
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mellon Scai…
William Harnett, Plucked Clean
Plucked Clean1882 · oil on canvas
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Wi…
William Harnett, Still Life—Violin and Music
Still Life—Violin and Music1888 · Oil on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe F…
William Harnett, The Artist's Letter Rack
The Artist's Letter Rack1879 · Oil on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1966 — Open Access (CC0)
William Harnett, The Banker's Table
The Banker's Table1877 · Oil on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Elihu Root Jr. Gift, 1956 — Open Ac…
William Harnett, Still Life
Still Life1888 · Oil on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Susan Vanderpoel Clark, 1967 — Ope…
William Harnett, New York Daily News
New York Daily News1888 · Oil on wood
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William L. and Charlotte B. McKim, 19…
William Harnett, A Sprig of Plums
A Sprig of Plums1873 · charcoal and black chalk with stumping and scratching out on cream wove paper
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon —…
William Harnett, Munich Still Life
Munich Still Life1882
Dallas Museum of Art ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Dallas Museum of Art
William Harnett, Still Life
Still Life1888
Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · William Harnett, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Metropolitan Museum of Art
William Harnett, Still Life—Violin and Music
Still Life—Violin and Music1888
Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Metropolitan Museum of Art
William Harnett, The Artist's Letter Rack
The Artist's Letter Rack1879
Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Metropolitan Museum of Art
William Harnett, The Banker's Table
The Banker's Table1877
Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · William Harnett, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Metropolitan Museum of Art
William Harnett, New York Daily News
New York Daily News1888
Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · William Harnett, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Metropolitan Museum of Art
William Harnett, The Old Violin
The Old Violin1886
Wikimedia Commons ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
William Harnett, My Gems
My Gems1888
Wikimedia Commons ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
William Harnett, For Sunday's Dinner
For Sunday's Dinner1888 · Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, Wilson L. Mead Fund — public domain (CC0)
William Harnett, Just Dessert
Just Dessert1891 · Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, Friends of American Art Collection — public domain …
William Harnett, Memento Mori, "To This Favour"
Memento Mori, "To This Favour"1879 · oil on canvas
Cleveland Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund — Open Access (…
William Harnett, The Old Violin
The Old Violin1887 · Color lithograph on paper
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. T. Stanton Armour Fund — public domain…
William Harnett, Christmas Stockings Hanging Over the Fireplace
Christmas Stockings Hanging Over the Fireplacen.d. · Graphite on tan wove paper
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Frederick W. Renshaw — public domain (CC0)
William Harnett, Still Life Sketch
Still Life Sketchn.d. · Graphite and pen and brown ink on cream laid paper
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Frederick W. Renshaw — public domain (CC0)
William Harnett, Sketch of Two Books
Sketch of Two Booksn.d. · Graphite, with smudging on tan wove paper
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Frederick W. Renshaw — public domain (CC0)

Related artists — American, born 1823–1873