Illustration Art
in addition to Rockwell
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Turner Watercolor by Turner Germany II Wild West Sciences Frazetta
Chronology : 1800-1809 1830-1839 1850-1859 1926
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Turner Watercolor by Turner Germany II Wild West Sciences Frazetta
Chronology : 1800-1809 1830-1839 1850-1859 1926
1802-1816 Les Liliacées by Redouté
1985 SOLD for $ 5.5M by Sotheby's
Specializing in botanical watercolors, the Belgian artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté comes to Versailles in 1788 for his career after training in the Royal gardens of Kew. From 1800 he contributes by his drawings to the reissue of the Traité des Arbres et Arbustes by Duhamel du Monceau and from 1798 he is the favorite artist of the future empress Joséphine.
His direct commitment to botany takes place in two phases : 486 watercolors on vellum on Liliaceae from 1802 to 1816 followed by 168 Roses from 1817 to 1824. His scientifically accurate drawings are taken from life in the gardens of La Malmaison, Saint-Cloud, Versailles and Sèvres.
All the watercolors of the Liliacées, bound in 16 volumes 48 x 35 cm for a total weight of nearly 150 kg, were originally entrusted to Joséphine's library in La Malmaison.
The lot was sold on November 20, 1985 for $ 5.5M by Sotheby's after a sensational opening bid of $ 5M, the highest at that time in an art sale.
The buyer was a young dealer of rare books and prints named W. Graham Arader, who immediately made him known. To carry out this operation, he had created a syndicate of clients. Each share gave the right to own four watercolors, some were still available and he kept 30% of the whole. He had been the only bidder but according to his statements gathered by the New York Times he was covered up to $ 20M.
The pieces were chosen in turn by Arader's clients according to a priority determined by a draw. Arader has not disclosed the names of his shareholders. Steve Jobs was probably one of them.
On October 10, 2020 Arader Galleries sold several Liliacées watercolors. The two top lots were sold for $ 530K each, including premium : cultivated pineapple, plate 456, lot 91, and banana, plate 444, lot 90, both linked here on LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
His direct commitment to botany takes place in two phases : 486 watercolors on vellum on Liliaceae from 1802 to 1816 followed by 168 Roses from 1817 to 1824. His scientifically accurate drawings are taken from life in the gardens of La Malmaison, Saint-Cloud, Versailles and Sèvres.
All the watercolors of the Liliacées, bound in 16 volumes 48 x 35 cm for a total weight of nearly 150 kg, were originally entrusted to Joséphine's library in La Malmaison.
The lot was sold on November 20, 1985 for $ 5.5M by Sotheby's after a sensational opening bid of $ 5M, the highest at that time in an art sale.
The buyer was a young dealer of rare books and prints named W. Graham Arader, who immediately made him known. To carry out this operation, he had created a syndicate of clients. Each share gave the right to own four watercolors, some were still available and he kept 30% of the whole. He had been the only bidder but according to his statements gathered by the New York Times he was covered up to $ 20M.
The pieces were chosen in turn by Arader's clients according to a priority determined by a draw. Arader has not disclosed the names of his shareholders. Steve Jobs was probably one of them.
On October 10, 2020 Arader Galleries sold several Liliacées watercolors. The two top lots were sold for $ 530K each, including premium : cultivated pineapple, plate 456, lot 91, and banana, plate 444, lot 90, both linked here on LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
TURNER
1
1835 Ehrenbreitstein
2017 SOLD for £ 18.5M by Sotheby's
2025 for sale on November 17 by Christie's
Turner is an illustrator. His watercolors are used to create collections of images and conversely the engravings are an effective way to disclose his major artworks.
He is also a keen traveler. When touring all over Europe he deliberately walked in the fictional footsteps of Childe Harold, the disillusioned young man of Byron's poem who visited the sites wrought by wars to satisfy his need for freedom.
In 1835 Turner finishes his sublime view showing Rome from the Aventine, oil on canvas 93 x 126 cm. Extending to the oil the traditional technique of watercolor, the superposition of very thin layers of paint brings a transparency that simulates the sunny mist without weakening the details of the drawing. This painting was sold by Sotheby's in 2014.
The artist has reached an agreement for an image of Germany with the engraver John Pye after he had appreciated the quality of the effects of light in his prints. When he receives the promised work, Pye is frightened but it is too late to give up : Turner did not execute a watercolor but an oil on canvas of large size, 93 x 123 cm, with the same subtle hues as in the Roman view. Meeting the requirements of the patron is virtually impossible.
This painting is a view of Ehrenbreitstein, subtitled The Bright Stone of Honour and the Tomb of Marceau from Byron's Childe Harold. The ruined fortress of Ehrenbreitstein which still dominates Koblenz is a symbol of the vanity of the old wars. Marceau is that young French general killed at the age of 27 near Koblenz who had deserved such a reputation for chivalrous bravery that the two hostile armies participated together in his funeral.
Contrary to the Roman view, the view of Rhineland does not seek an overall topographical truth. It is a set of scenes where peasant girls cohabit peacefully with soldiers of both armies.
The painting was finished in 1835. Nine years later Turner became impatient with Pye who succeeded in convincing him that his work was not abandoned. The engraving was printed in 1845 under the pressure of a collector who wanted to buy the original painting to Turner.
The Ehrenbreitstein view was sold for £ 18.5M by Sotheby's on July 5, 2017, lot 21. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. It will be sold by Christie's on November 17, 2025, lot 60A.
Grok thought :
Quote
AntiquesTradeGazette @ATG_Editorial Apr 4, 2017
This Turner masterpiece is going from private hands to open market: could it set a record for British art? @Sothebys http://atg.news/2nT2amv
Asking Grok to define the significance of this painting both in Turner's career and in the history of illustration art.
Grok thought :
Significance in Turner's Career
J.M.W. Turner's Ehrenbreitstein, or The Bright Stone of Honour and the Tomb of Marceau, from Byron's 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' (1835) represents a pinnacle of his late career, showcasing his revolutionary approach to landscape painting through ethereal light, atmospheric effects, and loose brushwork that anticipated Impressionism and even Abstract Expressionism. Painted in oil on canvas during a period widely regarded as his most innovative (the 1830s), it was exhibited to great acclaim at the Royal Academy in 1835, where critics praised its sublime depiction of the ruined Ehrenbreitstein fortress overlooking the Rhine near Koblenz, Germany—a site Turner sketched during travels in 1817 and revisited in later tours. This work exemplifies Turner's shift toward abstraction and emotional intensity, moving beyond topographical accuracy to evoke poetic and historical resonance, inspired by Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (Canto III, stanza 58), which describes the tomb of French general François Séverin Marceau amid the fortress ruins. It was one of only a handful of major Turner oils remaining in private hands until recent sales, underscoring its rarity and desirability; acquired by collector Elhanan Bicknell directly from Turner in 1844, it passed through prominent British collections before fetching £18.5 million at Sotheby's in 2017. In Turner's oeuvre, it bridges his earlier Romantic landscapes with his final, visionary phase, influencing modern art by prioritizing color and light over form, as seen in subsequent exhibitions like Late Turner – Painting Set Free (2014–2015).
Significance in the History of Illustration Art
While primarily a fine art painting, Ehrenbreitstein holds a notable place in the history of illustration art due to its literary origins and subsequent reproduction as engravings, aligning with Turner's extensive work as an illustrator for books, travelogues, and poetry volumes in the 19th century. Turner, who produced over 800 illustrations for publications like Walter Scott's novels and Samuel Rogers's Italy, drew inspiration here from Byron's epic poem, visually interpreting its themes of heroism, ruin, and melancholy—common in Romantic illustration. The painting was engraved by John Pye in 1845 and later by J. Cousen for The Turner Gallery (1859), disseminating it through print media and contributing to the era's boom in illustrated literature, where engravings made high art accessible to broader audiences. This process exemplifies how Turner's works blurred the lines between painting and illustration, elevating topographical and narrative scenes into symbolic art; it influenced the development of illustrated travel books and poetry editions, such as those tied to the Rhine's Romantic allure, and foreshadowed the integration of fine art into mass-produced visual storytelling in Victorian Britain. Its inclusion in exhibitions like Turner and Byron (1974) highlights its role in bridging painting and literary illustration.
The painting is scheduled for sale at Christie's New York on November 17, 2025, as lot 60A in the 20th/21st Century Evening Sale, with an estimate of $12–18 million.
He is also a keen traveler. When touring all over Europe he deliberately walked in the fictional footsteps of Childe Harold, the disillusioned young man of Byron's poem who visited the sites wrought by wars to satisfy his need for freedom.
In 1835 Turner finishes his sublime view showing Rome from the Aventine, oil on canvas 93 x 126 cm. Extending to the oil the traditional technique of watercolor, the superposition of very thin layers of paint brings a transparency that simulates the sunny mist without weakening the details of the drawing. This painting was sold by Sotheby's in 2014.
The artist has reached an agreement for an image of Germany with the engraver John Pye after he had appreciated the quality of the effects of light in his prints. When he receives the promised work, Pye is frightened but it is too late to give up : Turner did not execute a watercolor but an oil on canvas of large size, 93 x 123 cm, with the same subtle hues as in the Roman view. Meeting the requirements of the patron is virtually impossible.
This painting is a view of Ehrenbreitstein, subtitled The Bright Stone of Honour and the Tomb of Marceau from Byron's Childe Harold. The ruined fortress of Ehrenbreitstein which still dominates Koblenz is a symbol of the vanity of the old wars. Marceau is that young French general killed at the age of 27 near Koblenz who had deserved such a reputation for chivalrous bravery that the two hostile armies participated together in his funeral.
Contrary to the Roman view, the view of Rhineland does not seek an overall topographical truth. It is a set of scenes where peasant girls cohabit peacefully with soldiers of both armies.
The painting was finished in 1835. Nine years later Turner became impatient with Pye who succeeded in convincing him that his work was not abandoned. The engraving was printed in 1845 under the pressure of a collector who wanted to buy the original painting to Turner.
The Ehrenbreitstein view was sold for £ 18.5M by Sotheby's on July 5, 2017, lot 21. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. It will be sold by Christie's on November 17, 2025, lot 60A.
Grok thought :
Quote
AntiquesTradeGazette @ATG_Editorial Apr 4, 2017
This Turner masterpiece is going from private hands to open market: could it set a record for British art? @Sothebys http://atg.news/2nT2amv
- The 2017 X post by Antiques Trade Gazette promotes J.M.W. Turner's late oil "Ehrenbreitstein" (c.1840-45), a 93x123cm landscape of the Rhine fortress, entering auction after 50 years in private hands, with a £15-25m estimate at Sotheby's London.
- The artwork, one of five exhibited by Turner, fueled speculation of surpassing his £27m auction record from "Modern Rome" (2012), reflecting peak interest in British Romantic art amid a robust 2017 market for Old Masters.
- It sold for £17m to a single phone bidder, below low estimate and underwhelming per reports, yet affirming Turner's market strength—subsequent sales like "Rome, from the Vatican" (2020) reached £29.3m.
Asking Grok to define the significance of this painting both in Turner's career and in the history of illustration art.
Grok thought :
Significance in Turner's Career
J.M.W. Turner's Ehrenbreitstein, or The Bright Stone of Honour and the Tomb of Marceau, from Byron's 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' (1835) represents a pinnacle of his late career, showcasing his revolutionary approach to landscape painting through ethereal light, atmospheric effects, and loose brushwork that anticipated Impressionism and even Abstract Expressionism. Painted in oil on canvas during a period widely regarded as his most innovative (the 1830s), it was exhibited to great acclaim at the Royal Academy in 1835, where critics praised its sublime depiction of the ruined Ehrenbreitstein fortress overlooking the Rhine near Koblenz, Germany—a site Turner sketched during travels in 1817 and revisited in later tours. This work exemplifies Turner's shift toward abstraction and emotional intensity, moving beyond topographical accuracy to evoke poetic and historical resonance, inspired by Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (Canto III, stanza 58), which describes the tomb of French general François Séverin Marceau amid the fortress ruins. It was one of only a handful of major Turner oils remaining in private hands until recent sales, underscoring its rarity and desirability; acquired by collector Elhanan Bicknell directly from Turner in 1844, it passed through prominent British collections before fetching £18.5 million at Sotheby's in 2017. In Turner's oeuvre, it bridges his earlier Romantic landscapes with his final, visionary phase, influencing modern art by prioritizing color and light over form, as seen in subsequent exhibitions like Late Turner – Painting Set Free (2014–2015).
Significance in the History of Illustration Art
While primarily a fine art painting, Ehrenbreitstein holds a notable place in the history of illustration art due to its literary origins and subsequent reproduction as engravings, aligning with Turner's extensive work as an illustrator for books, travelogues, and poetry volumes in the 19th century. Turner, who produced over 800 illustrations for publications like Walter Scott's novels and Samuel Rogers's Italy, drew inspiration here from Byron's epic poem, visually interpreting its themes of heroism, ruin, and melancholy—common in Romantic illustration. The painting was engraved by John Pye in 1845 and later by J. Cousen for The Turner Gallery (1859), disseminating it through print media and contributing to the era's boom in illustrated literature, where engravings made high art accessible to broader audiences. This process exemplifies how Turner's works blurred the lines between painting and illustration, elevating topographical and narrative scenes into symbolic art; it influenced the development of illustrated travel books and poetry editions, such as those tied to the Rhine's Romantic allure, and foreshadowed the integration of fine art into mass-produced visual storytelling in Victorian Britain. Its inclusion in exhibitions like Turner and Byron (1974) highlights its role in bridging painting and literary illustration.
The painting is scheduled for sale at Christie's New York on November 17, 2025, as lot 60A in the 20th/21st Century Evening Sale, with an estimate of $12–18 million.
This Turner masterpiece is going from private hands to open market: could it set a record for British art? @Sothebys https://t.co/BktorQc0NL pic.twitter.com/Wc4aRPGq3n
— AntiquesTradeGazette (@ATG_Editorial) April 4, 2017
2
1841 Heidelberg
2013 SOLD for $ 4.6M by Sotheby's
Turner is the finest illustrator of the European landscapes. In 1840, the engraver Thomas Prior commissions him for a view of Heidelberg. The small town on the Neckar is one of the most enchanting sites, with its bridge, its church, and the ruins of its palace on the hillside.
At 65, Turner is at the top of his art. He expresses in his watercolors the exceptional light and iridescence from poor weather conditions. The landscape is always identifiable and improved with small characters engaged in their daily tasks.
To respond to the order, he sketches Heidelberg when the rain has stopped and the rainbow is just beginning to rise. This large watercolor, 35 x 53 cm, was probably made in 1841. It will be published in 1846 by Prior.
The artwork presents a curiosity that is not a fantasy. Several characters are in medieval costume. Turner remains a witness of his time : in Heidelberg, university students used to dress in that way.
It was sold by Sotheby's for $ 4.6M on January 31, 2013, lot 101. The image is sourced from Sotheby's in Wikimedia.
At 65, Turner is at the top of his art. He expresses in his watercolors the exceptional light and iridescence from poor weather conditions. The landscape is always identifiable and improved with small characters engaged in their daily tasks.
To respond to the order, he sketches Heidelberg when the rain has stopped and the rainbow is just beginning to rise. This large watercolor, 35 x 53 cm, was probably made in 1841. It will be published in 1846 by Prior.
The artwork presents a curiosity that is not a fantasy. Several characters are in medieval costume. Turner remains a witness of his time : in Heidelberg, university students used to dress in that way.
It was sold by Sotheby's for $ 4.6M on January 31, 2013, lot 101. The image is sourced from Sotheby's in Wikimedia.
1851 Washington crossing the Delaware by Leutze
2022 SOLD for $ 45M by Christie's
On Christmas night, 1776 the surprise crossing of the half frozen Delaware river by General Washington changed the course of the Revolutionary War hampered by a previous series of defeats.
That epic moment was painted in Düsseldorf by the German-born Emanuel Leutze as a symbol for freedom in the wake of the 1848 European upheavals.
The tall General is straight standing at the bow with a foot on the edge, looking ahead with a stiff determination. The US flag in its 1777 Stars and Stripes version is floating in the wind behind the hero. The boat is populated by various officers and troops including a rowing Black man, a Scot and a rowing woman, highlighting the proud Washington as the father of the US nation as a whole.
Three paintings were executed by Leutze with his assistant Eastman Johnson. Made in 1850, the original version was destroyed in a World War II bombing. The second full scale 3.80 x 6.50 m canvas is housed by the Met Museum.
Prepared in 1851 in parallel with the Met example, the third piece on a reduced scale was commissioned by the Paris art editors Goupil and Vibert for an engraving. It was on loan at the White House from 1979 to 2014. This oil on canvas 102 x 173 cm was sold for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 30C.
A pastiche painted by Robert Colescott in 1975 replacing the general by an African American scientist and the troops by a gang of joyful Negroes was sold for $ 15.3M by Sotheby's in 2021. Another pastiche painted in 2018 by Jon McNaughton features President Trump leading his team by night with an oil lamp.
That epic moment was painted in Düsseldorf by the German-born Emanuel Leutze as a symbol for freedom in the wake of the 1848 European upheavals.
The tall General is straight standing at the bow with a foot on the edge, looking ahead with a stiff determination. The US flag in its 1777 Stars and Stripes version is floating in the wind behind the hero. The boat is populated by various officers and troops including a rowing Black man, a Scot and a rowing woman, highlighting the proud Washington as the father of the US nation as a whole.
Three paintings were executed by Leutze with his assistant Eastman Johnson. Made in 1850, the original version was destroyed in a World War II bombing. The second full scale 3.80 x 6.50 m canvas is housed by the Met Museum.
Prepared in 1851 in parallel with the Met example, the third piece on a reduced scale was commissioned by the Paris art editors Goupil and Vibert for an engraving. It was on loan at the White House from 1979 to 2014. This oil on canvas 102 x 173 cm was sold for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 30C.
A pastiche painted by Robert Colescott in 1975 replacing the general by an African American scientist and the troops by a gang of joyful Negroes was sold for $ 15.3M by Sotheby's in 2021. Another pastiche painted in 2018 by Jon McNaughton features President Trump leading his team by night with an oil lamp.
#AuctionUpdate Emmanuel Leutze’s ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware’ sets an auction record for the artist; price realized $45 million pic.twitter.com/waEDUwjlaT
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 13, 2022
1908 Cutting out Pony Herds by Remington
2013 SOLD for $ 5.6M by The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction
Frederic Remington was a man of the East, at a time of an intense curiosity about the Wild West. He became an artist and his works were published in magazines such as The Century Magazine, Harper's Weekly and Collier's Weekly. He was a contemporary of Theodore Roosevelt and illustrated a book by him in 1887.
From his studio in New Rochelle in the suburbs of New York, he illustrates for the magazines the joys and torments of the frontiersmen. He wants to revive by his realism the atmosphere of the Wild West.
Frederic Remington had used to make frequent trips to the West to soak up the atmosphere. The men of the cavalry were gallant heroes against the fierce Indians, and they were also clients who could ensure his glory.
In 1900 he returns disappointed : civilization had distorted the life in the West which supported his business. He decides never to go West again and will keep his word. He still has his imagination and his artistic production is not slowed down.
Remington provides the images expected by the readers. He has no ethnological curiosity. The Indian is an enemy warrior with whom communication is impossible.
The Buffalo Signal, oil on canvas 102 x 69 cm painted in 1900, is a rare example in which Remington expresses his nostalgia. To make a signal, an Indian scout rears his horse and brandishes a buffalo hide high over his head. A buffalo skull is placed in front of him on the sand. The arid desert and the cloudless sky complete this typical atmosphere that anticipates the western movies.
Two years later Remington uses this image as the frontispiece in a book, with the title If Skulls Could Speak, a direct allusion to the bygone cultures of the American West, symbolized by the extinction of the bison herds.
The painting was sold by Christie's for $ 4.4M on November 29, 2007, lot 103, and for $ 2.9M on October 28, 2020, lot 16.
From 1901 his work for Collier's became steady. When Remington died in 1909, the magazine still had sixteen of his paintings ready to be published.
Painted in 1908, 'Cutting out pony herds' shows the US cavalry guiding a herd of Indian horses away from their camp. This oil on canvas 60 x 100 cm was published by Collier's in 1913. It was sold for $ 5.6M on July 27, 2013 by The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction.
From his studio in New Rochelle in the suburbs of New York, he illustrates for the magazines the joys and torments of the frontiersmen. He wants to revive by his realism the atmosphere of the Wild West.
Frederic Remington had used to make frequent trips to the West to soak up the atmosphere. The men of the cavalry were gallant heroes against the fierce Indians, and they were also clients who could ensure his glory.
In 1900 he returns disappointed : civilization had distorted the life in the West which supported his business. He decides never to go West again and will keep his word. He still has his imagination and his artistic production is not slowed down.
Remington provides the images expected by the readers. He has no ethnological curiosity. The Indian is an enemy warrior with whom communication is impossible.
The Buffalo Signal, oil on canvas 102 x 69 cm painted in 1900, is a rare example in which Remington expresses his nostalgia. To make a signal, an Indian scout rears his horse and brandishes a buffalo hide high over his head. A buffalo skull is placed in front of him on the sand. The arid desert and the cloudless sky complete this typical atmosphere that anticipates the western movies.
Two years later Remington uses this image as the frontispiece in a book, with the title If Skulls Could Speak, a direct allusion to the bygone cultures of the American West, symbolized by the extinction of the bison herds.
The painting was sold by Christie's for $ 4.4M on November 29, 2007, lot 103, and for $ 2.9M on October 28, 2020, lot 16.
From 1901 his work for Collier's became steady. When Remington died in 1909, the magazine still had sixteen of his paintings ready to be published.
Painted in 1908, 'Cutting out pony herds' shows the US cavalry guiding a herd of Indian horses away from their camp. This oil on canvas 60 x 100 cm was published by Collier's in 1913. It was sold for $ 5.6M on July 27, 2013 by The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction.
PARRISH
1
1922 Daybreak
2006 SOLD for $ 7.6M by Christie's
Away from the artistic trends, Maxfield Parrish is now recognized as the pioneer of fantastic art. Professional illustrator of children's books, prolific author of posters and calendars, he uses a sharp line and bright colors to evoke fairy themes.
Daybreak, executed in 1922, is his biggest hit, a favorite image of Americans to whom it provides an idea of paradise.
The artwork is carefully composed according to the Golden ratio. In the background, the light of dawn bathes a landscape of mountains. In the foreground, between two big endless columns, two maidens wake up. One of them, recumbent, is dressed in a light coat like the antique Greeks. The other is standing, and leans over her friend. She is nude. The mountain is a view over the upper Connecticut river near the artist's home.
The original picture was prepared with a glazing technique that provided a luminous surface. The paint had been applied from the tube in multiple layers over a white ground.
This oil on board 67 x 114 cm was sold for $ 7.6M by Christie's on May 25, 2006. Coming back in the same auction house on May 20, 2010 on occasion (as gossiped) of the marital problems of a filmmaker, it was sold for $ 5.2M. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Daybreak, executed in 1922, is his biggest hit, a favorite image of Americans to whom it provides an idea of paradise.
The artwork is carefully composed according to the Golden ratio. In the background, the light of dawn bathes a landscape of mountains. In the foreground, between two big endless columns, two maidens wake up. One of them, recumbent, is dressed in a light coat like the antique Greeks. The other is standing, and leans over her friend. She is nude. The mountain is a view over the upper Connecticut river near the artist's home.
The original picture was prepared with a glazing technique that provided a luminous surface. The paint had been applied from the tube in multiple layers over a white ground.
This oil on board 67 x 114 cm was sold for $ 7.6M by Christie's on May 25, 2006. Coming back in the same auction house on May 20, 2010 on occasion (as gossiped) of the marital problems of a filmmaker, it was sold for $ 5.2M. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
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2
1926 Hilltop
2022 SOLD for $ 6.7M by Christie's
Maxfield Parrish desired to reiterate the unprecedented success of his delightful Daybreak of 1922. Hilltop, conceived in 1926 in a similar technique and theme, is another staging of two young women in a quiet intimacy in a paradisiac landscape.
In the golden light of a late afternoon, the innocent girls take a rest in a contemplation of nature in the variegated shadows of a big oak. The models were the daughters of a friend. In the opposite of the Sapphic daybreak, there is no nudity. A special care was brought to the harmonic balance of the composition.
This oil on panel 91 x 56 cm painted and copyrighted in 1926 was sold for $ 6.7M from a lower estimate of $ 2M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 47.
Hilltop was edited as an image in three sizes.
In the golden light of a late afternoon, the innocent girls take a rest in a contemplation of nature in the variegated shadows of a big oak. The models were the daughters of a friend. In the opposite of the Sapphic daybreak, there is no nudity. A special care was brought to the harmonic balance of the composition.
This oil on panel 91 x 56 cm painted and copyrighted in 1926 was sold for $ 6.7M from a lower estimate of $ 2M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 47.
Hilltop was edited as an image in three sizes.
ROCKWELL :
see dedicated page
FRAZETTA
1
1967 Conan
2025 SOLD for $ 13.5M by Heritage
Jim Warren is looking for a formula to take his piece of the pie in editing stories for teens and young adults. He mainly finds his inspiration with the horror movie monsters, and creates a mixture of comic books and pulp magazines. The first issue of Creepy appears in 1964. The success brings other titles in the same style : Eerie in 1966, Vampirella in 1969.
Frank Frazetta is a comic book artist. He also has fun with horror films. In Creepy No. 1, he illustrates in stripes a story titled Werewolf. His talents are undeniable. Warren now entrusts him with the illustration of most of the covers, including in a short-lived magazine of war stories. This initiative frees the artist's overflowing imagination from the constraint of respecting scenarios and stories. This is the great turning point in his career.
Barely dressed in a loincloth aside with some jewelry for the women, Frazetta's characters are extremely muscular, confident in their strength to face the unclean beasts that mark their daily lives.
The art of Frazetta is a collection of parallel universes populated by muscular women and terrifying creatures. Working primarily for book and magazine covers, he must capture the attention of bookstore customers by offering intense action moments.
In 1967 Frazetta's cover for a reprint of Conan pulp fiction of the 1930s features the hyper muscular Cimmerian monster in a frightening wrestling with another creature, a Man Ape named Thak wrapped in a blood red cape. Armed with a long sword, Conan attacks with clenched teeth and a murdering gaze while his four handed partner is screaming with a wide open mouth.
The original art is a board wrapped 40 x 50 cm oil on canvas. Kept in excellent condition until now in the family of the artist, it was sold for $ 13.5M by Heritage on September 12, 2025, lot 1.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Heritage Auctions @HeritageAuction Sep 12 0:16
It’s official: the most valuable Frank Frazetta painting of all time Frank Frazetta’s cover painting for the 1967 Lancer/Ace Conan paperback, a landmark of modern fantasy art commonly known as Man Ape (1966), sold for a record-shattering $13.5 million, including the buyer’s
Frank Frazetta is a comic book artist. He also has fun with horror films. In Creepy No. 1, he illustrates in stripes a story titled Werewolf. His talents are undeniable. Warren now entrusts him with the illustration of most of the covers, including in a short-lived magazine of war stories. This initiative frees the artist's overflowing imagination from the constraint of respecting scenarios and stories. This is the great turning point in his career.
Barely dressed in a loincloth aside with some jewelry for the women, Frazetta's characters are extremely muscular, confident in their strength to face the unclean beasts that mark their daily lives.
The art of Frazetta is a collection of parallel universes populated by muscular women and terrifying creatures. Working primarily for book and magazine covers, he must capture the attention of bookstore customers by offering intense action moments.
In 1967 Frazetta's cover for a reprint of Conan pulp fiction of the 1930s features the hyper muscular Cimmerian monster in a frightening wrestling with another creature, a Man Ape named Thak wrapped in a blood red cape. Armed with a long sword, Conan attacks with clenched teeth and a murdering gaze while his four handed partner is screaming with a wide open mouth.
The original art is a board wrapped 40 x 50 cm oil on canvas. Kept in excellent condition until now in the family of the artist, it was sold for $ 13.5M by Heritage on September 12, 2025, lot 1.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Heritage Auctions @HeritageAuction Sep 12 0:16
It’s official: the most valuable Frank Frazetta painting of all time Frank Frazetta’s cover painting for the 1967 Lancer/Ace Conan paperback, a landmark of modern fantasy art commonly known as Man Ape (1966), sold for a record-shattering $13.5 million, including the buyer’s
- The X post announces the sale of Frank Frazetta's "Man Ape" painting, the cover art for the 1967 Lancer/Ace Conan paperback, for a record-breaking $13.5 million at Heritage Auctions, highlighting its significance as the most valuable Frazetta painting ever sold and its impact on modern fantasy art.
- Frazetta's work, particularly his interpretations of Robert E. Howard's Conan, revolutionized the visual representation of sword and sorcery, influencing countless artists and defining the genre's aesthetic, despite often not aligning with the stories' narratives.
- The high sale price reflects a broader trend in the art market where collectibles, especially those with cultural and historical significance like Frazetta's works, continue to fetch extraordinary sums, as evidenced by Heritage Auctions' nearly $1.9 billion in sales in 2024, driven by passionate collectors and the preservation of cultural artifacts
2
1969 Egyptian Queen
2019 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Heritage
Frazetta uses oil painting with brilliant colors and dramatic contrast, unleashing the eroticism of almost naked women. He excites the fantasies of the readers of his time, just as the horror films of Universal Pictures had made moviegoers forget the consequences of the great crisis.
Egyptian Queen is an oil on stretched canvas 50 x 66 cm. This scene contains all the ingredients for a dream : the woman is a queen from a mysterious other time, altogether haughty and slightly sulky, protected by an antique guard with a heavy sword. In the foreground a powerful wild beast is her pet, with a collar.
Frazetta worked very fast. With Egyptian Queen, he appreciates that he has all the elements of a masterpiece. He wants the heavily made-up eyes to have a hypnotizing power. After leaving the painting aside for several months, he suddenly finds his inspiration and finishes the work in a few minutes.
First published in 1969 as the cover of the horror comics magazine Eerie # 23, Egyptian Queen will then be widely reused for magazines and posters. Frazetta kept the original throughout his life. This painting was sold for $ 5.4M by Heritage on May 16, 2019, lot 91027. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Frank Frazetta @frazettagirls May 16, 2019
Frank Frazetta’s ‘Egyptian Queen’ broke a world record for $5,400,000 today 5.16.19 #FrankFrazetta
Egyptian Queen is an oil on stretched canvas 50 x 66 cm. This scene contains all the ingredients for a dream : the woman is a queen from a mysterious other time, altogether haughty and slightly sulky, protected by an antique guard with a heavy sword. In the foreground a powerful wild beast is her pet, with a collar.
Frazetta worked very fast. With Egyptian Queen, he appreciates that he has all the elements of a masterpiece. He wants the heavily made-up eyes to have a hypnotizing power. After leaving the painting aside for several months, he suddenly finds his inspiration and finishes the work in a few minutes.
First published in 1969 as the cover of the horror comics magazine Eerie # 23, Egyptian Queen will then be widely reused for magazines and posters. Frazetta kept the original throughout his life. This painting was sold for $ 5.4M by Heritage on May 16, 2019, lot 91027. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Frank Frazetta @frazettagirls May 16, 2019
Frank Frazetta’s ‘Egyptian Queen’ broke a world record for $5,400,000 today 5.16.19 #FrankFrazetta
- The painting "Egyptian Queen" by Frank Frazetta, sold for $5.4 million on May 16, 2019, broke records as the highest price ever paid for comic art, reflecting a growing recognition of fantasy art’s cultural value, supported by its 1969 debut on Eerie magazine’s cover and Frazetta’s meticulous three-day face revision process.
- This sale challenges traditional art market hierarchies, as Frazetta’s work, often dismissed by critics as commercial, outperformed many contemporary fine art auctions, aligning with a 2021 study from the Journal of Cultural Economics showing fantasy art’s rising economic impact due to collector demand.
- The 2019 auction coincided with a surge in interest for living artists like David Hockney, whose $90 million sale that year set a benchmark, yet Frazetta’s posthumous success highlights a unique posthumous appreciation trend, with his estate’s strategic branding boosting his legacy.
3
1976 Dark Kingdom
2023 SOLD for $ 6M by Heritage
Kane is the hero of the novelist Karl Edward Wagner. This over-powerful amoral killer is based of his homophonic Cain of the Genesis, an immortal cursed to eternal wandering after the murder of his brother Abel.
Of course Kane is perfectly suited to inspire Frank Frazetta. In 1976 Wagner's Dark Crusade is illustrated by Frazetta in the cover page. The terrible warrior with the winged helmet and the blood-dripping ax is resolutely advancing over a field of skeletons.
Titled Dark Kingdom by the artist, this sword and sorcery image was used in 1979 as the cover of a rock album and reproduced in various formats by the Frazetta Art Museum where it was one of the most favored attractions.
The original art, an oil on pressboard 45 x 60 cm, was sold for $ 6M by Heritage on June 22, 2023, lot 91009 in a direct provenance from the Frazetta family.
Of course Kane is perfectly suited to inspire Frank Frazetta. In 1976 Wagner's Dark Crusade is illustrated by Frazetta in the cover page. The terrible warrior with the winged helmet and the blood-dripping ax is resolutely advancing over a field of skeletons.
Titled Dark Kingdom by the artist, this sword and sorcery image was used in 1979 as the cover of a rock album and reproduced in various formats by the Frazetta Art Museum where it was one of the most favored attractions.
The original art, an oil on pressboard 45 x 60 cm, was sold for $ 6M by Heritage on June 22, 2023, lot 91009 in a direct provenance from the Frazetta family.
