I skimmed his wiki and seems like he was well regarded by his peers and patrons of the time.
He may not have been appreciated at the degree he is now but the work he put in was definitely valued and he was well compensated for in money and in titles during his lifetime.
Would be like if Michael Jordan made 100k/year, not widely known.
the circumstances of the time play into it.
If Michael Jordan played at the outset of the league in 1946, he would not be as well known. He played when sports were televised and when sports stars were paid to be on cereal boxes.
The value of the work depends on timing.
Depends on a lot of things including that. And sports are the easiest domain to recognize greatness. Art much more fashion/zeitgeist dependent.
