Charcoal Drawings

The charcoal paintings date back to 23,000 BCE when early humans used burnt sticks to sketch pictures of animals and figures on cave walls. Many cultures, from Native Australians to sub-Saharan African peoples, provide evidence of these types of paintings. Since charcoal could be quickly manipulated and cleaned away, it was the ideal medium for playing with shape and composition. It's one of the most adaptable mediums, and it can be found on several surfaces.

Artists invented procedures throughout the Renaissance that required a charcoal drawing to be ‘fixed,' so that it did not fall away with time. Charcoal drawings became famous as independent works of craft in the late nineteenth centennial, and many of these discoveries would include a significant number of charcoal drawings of people. Charcoal painting is still commonly used in nearly all art schools and is regarded as a coveted method.

Charcoal favors broad, and robust craftsmanship, with an emphasis on mass and movement rather than linear accuracy, due to the softness of its drawing edge. A considerable number of such sketches have survived, including works by Albrecht Dürer, Paulus Potter, and several 16th and 17th-century Italian artists. During the nineteenth and twentieth centennial, as well as into the twenty-first, charcoal drawings were manufactured. Many notable examples can be discovered in the works of French artists like Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, along with German artists Ernst Barlach and Käthe Kollwitz in the nineteenth- and twentieth-centennial.

A wide variety of artistic charcoal drawings are available at auctions for sale. Bidsquare features vintage and antique charcoal drawings at online auction with the finest quality of the artwork. Find an excellent collection of artworks of charcoal drawings for sale at Bidsquare crafted by renowned artists.

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  • Old Master Style Double-Sided Drawing: Portrait of a Child and Study of an Arm
    Estimate
    $200 - $300

    Old Master Style Double-Sided Drawing: Portrait of a Child and Study of an Arm

    Est.
    $200 - $300
    Locati LLC
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $100
  • Important Albert Sterner charcoal sketch, Symbolist, 'Nun and Nude'
    Price$650

    Important Albert Sterner charcoal sketch, Symbolist, 'Nun and Nude'

    King Art & Antiques
    Buy Now Price
    $650
  • Charcoal and Pastel-enhanced Portrait of a Fire Department Chief. Circa early 20th century.
    Estimate
    $80 - $120

    Charcoal and Pastel-enhanced Portrait of a Fire Department Chief. Circa early 20th century.

    Est.
    $80 - $120
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    1 Bid
    Current Bid
    $40
  • JEAN LAMBERT-RUCKI, STUDY FOR A SCULPTURE, Charcoal and pastel
    Price$550

    JEAN LAMBERT-RUCKI, STUDY FOR A SCULPTURE, Charcoal and pastel

    King Art & Antiques
    Buy Now Price
    $550
  • Vintage Pastel Portrait of a Red Fox
    Estimate
    $100 - $10,000

    Vintage Pastel Portrait of a Red Fox

    Est.
    $100 - $10,000
    Mebane Antique Auction Gall...
    Starting Bid
    $50
  • Robert W. Richards (American, 1941-2019)
    Estimate
    $300 - $500

    Robert W. Richards (American, 1941-2019)

    Est.
    $300 - $500
    Vallot Auctioneers
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $150
  • Mark Beard (American, b. 1956)
    Estimate
    $1,200 - $1,800

    Mark Beard (American, b. 1956)

    Est.
    $1,200 - $1,800
    Vallot Auctioneers
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $600
  • Stephen Hale (American, 1961-2008)
    Estimate
    $400 - $600

    Stephen Hale (American, 1961-2008)

    Est.
    $400 - $600
    Vallot Auctioneers
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $200
  •  David Eugene Henry (American, b. 1946)
    Estimate
    $300 - $600

    David Eugene Henry (American, b. 1946)

    Est.
    $300 - $600
    Vallot Auctioneers
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $150
  •  David Eugene Henry (American, b. 1946)
    Estimate
    $300 - $600

    David Eugene Henry (American, b. 1946)

    Est.
    $300 - $600
    Vallot Auctioneers
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $150
  •  David Eugene Henry (American, b. 1946)
    Estimate
    $300 - $600

    David Eugene Henry (American, b. 1946)

    Est.
    $300 - $600
    Vallot Auctioneers
    0 Bids
    Starting Bid
    $150
  • Clyde Singer (American, 1908-1999) charcoal drawing
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Clyde Singer (American, 1908-1999) charcoal drawing

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Jorge de Matos (Contemporary) 1989 Nude Figural Charcoal Drawing
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Jorge de Matos (Contemporary) 1989 Nude Figural Charcoal Drawing

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Margery Ryerson (USA, 1886-1989) Charcoal Drawing of Child at Grand Piano with Dog
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Margery Ryerson (USA, 1886-1989) Charcoal Drawing of Child at Grand Piano with Dog

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Ken Potter (American, 1926-2011) "Fishwife" Pen, Ink, & Charcoal Drawing, 1966
    Estimate
    $100 - $250

    Ken Potter (American, 1926-2011) "Fishwife" Pen, Ink, & Charcoal Drawing, 1966

    Est.
    $100 - $250
  • Portrait of a Bearded Gentleman Charcoal on Paper 1874
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Portrait of a Bearded Gentleman Charcoal on Paper 1874

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Robert Daughters, Taos Six, charcoal on paper, 1972
    Estimate
    $1,000 - $1,500

    Robert Daughters, Taos Six, charcoal on paper, 1972

    Est.
    $1,000 - $1,500
  • John Woodrow Kelly (b. 1952) Charcoal "Orpheus Study"
    Estimate
    $1,000 - $1,500

    John Woodrow Kelly (b. 1952) Charcoal "Orpheus Study"

    Est.
    $1,000 - $1,500
  • Vintage Charcoal & Watercolor Painting of India Street Nantucket
    Estimate
    $500 - $700

    Vintage Charcoal & Watercolor Painting of India Street Nantucket

    Est.
    $500 - $700
  • Vintage Charcoal & Watercolor Painting of India Street Nantucket
    Estimate
    $500 - $700

    Vintage Charcoal & Watercolor Painting of India Street Nantucket

    Est.
    $500 - $700
  • Rockwell Kent pencil drawing study
    Estimate
    $700 - $1,200

    Rockwell Kent pencil drawing study

    Est.
    $700 - $1,200
  • Louis-Marie Désiré-Lucas (1869–1949) French, Charcoal Portrait of a Man
    Estimate
    $60 - $90

    Louis-Marie Désiré-Lucas (1869–1949) French, Charcoal Portrait of a Man

    Est.
    $60 - $90
  • Buck McCain, "Chimayo" Preliminary Charcoal Sketch
    Estimate
    $800 - $1,200
  • Peggy Bacon (USA, 1895-1987) A Double Life Drawing of Kenneth Hayes Miller
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Peggy Bacon (USA, 1895-1987) A Double Life Drawing of Kenneth Hayes Miller

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Clyde Singer (American, 1908-1999) drawing
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Clyde Singer (American, 1908-1999) drawing

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Clyde Singer (American, 1908-1999) drawing
    Estimate
    $200 - $400

    Clyde Singer (American, 1908-1999) drawing

    Est.
    $200 - $400
  • Two Framed Art Pieces: Nude Study and Cityscape
    Estimate
    $40 - $1,000

    Two Framed Art Pieces: Nude Study and Cityscape

    Est.
    $40 - $1,000
  • Bill Zaner, Texas Landscape
    Estimate
    $300 - $400

    Bill Zaner, Texas Landscape

    Est.
    $300 - $400
    4 Bids
    Sold for
    $650
  • Tyler Crow, "Hide and Seek"
    Estimate
    $1,000 - $2,000

    Tyler Crow, "Hide and Seek"

    Est.
    $1,000 - $2,000
    4 Bids
    Sold for
    $900
  • Two Watercolor Scenes of Paris
    Estimate
    $300 - $500

    Two Watercolor Scenes of Paris

    Est.
    $300 - $500
    2 Bids
    Sold for
    $200
  • Tom Lovell, "The Long War Path"
    Estimate
    $2,000 - $4,000

    Tom Lovell, "The Long War Path"

    Est.
    $2,000 - $4,000
    11 Bids
    Sold for
    $3,000
  • Red McCombs | "Visions West", Founding Sponsor Edition
    Estimate
    $2,000 - $4,000

    Red McCombs | "Visions West", Founding Sponsor Edition

    Est.
    $2,000 - $4,000
    17 Bids
    Sold for
    $2,750
  • DRAWING OF THE HUNT
    Estimate
    $400 - $600

    DRAWING OF THE HUNT

    Est.
    $400 - $600
  • Constant Permeke The Harvester Charcoal Work on Paper
    Estimate
    $500 - $800

    Constant Permeke The Harvester Charcoal Work on Paper

    Est.
    $500 - $800
  • Two Contemporary Male Nude Drawings
    Estimate
    $600 - $900

    Two Contemporary Male Nude Drawings

    Est.
    $600 - $900
    6 Bids
    Sold for
    $800
  • Chaumiere sous la Neige - Paul-Emile Pissarro, Watercolor & Charcoal
    Estimate
    $7,000 - $9,000

    Chaumiere sous la Neige - Paul-Emile Pissarro, Watercolor & Charcoal

    Est.
    $7,000 - $9,000
  • Enrico Glicenstein 27 Drawings Actors Yiddish Theatre 1932 Yoshe Kalb
    Estimate
    $400 - $600

    Enrico Glicenstein 27 Drawings Actors Yiddish Theatre 1932 Yoshe Kalb

    Est.
    $400 - $600
  • Marion Greenwood, Nursing Mother, ca. 1930
    Estimate
    $500 - $800

    Marion Greenwood, Nursing Mother, ca. 1930

    Est.
    $500 - $800
    1 Bid
    Sold for
    $225
  • 7 Piece Group of Original Watercolors and Signed Pencil Illustrations
    Estimate
    $50 - $100

    7 Piece Group of Original Watercolors and Signed Pencil Illustrations

    Est.
    $50 - $100