Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern

Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 269. Karl Lagerfeld | Original drawings for The Emperor's New Clothes, 1992.

Karl Lagerfeld | Original drawings for The Emperor's New Clothes, 1992

UK: Greenford Park WarehouseArtist's Resale RightMargin Scheme

Lot Closed

July 18, 02:30 PM GMT

Estimate

4,000 - 6,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Karl Lagerfeld


Original drawings for The Emperor's New Clothes, 1992


SIGNED BY THE ARTIST IN BLUE PEN ON FLYLEAF: "Pour Eric with love K Lagerfeld Paris nov. 92", 18 original drawings, of which 3 executed in black pastel, 15 in colour pastels with red or gold marker, first drawing initialed by Lagerfeld on lower right, on 18 pages of a folio sketchbook (303 x 215mm.), burgundy percaline boards, Sennelier label to front pastedown, paper label with Karl Lagerfeld's name on upper board


A beautiful series of sketches illustrating Andersen's famous tale, in which rogue seamstresses pretend to sew a garment that only idiots would not see. The book appeared in 1992, published by The Atlantic Monthly Press.


Lagerfeld was inspired by the costumes of the Ancien Régime, with Louis XIV-style wigs, silk breeches and heeled shoes. The first drawing, signed with an initial in blue ink, represents the emperor wearing shoes and wigs, buttocks uncovered. Nine of these drawings are captioned in pencil: "les courtisans", "un ministre", "coudre et couper les vêtements invisibles", "la cassette de l’empereur", "porteurs de la traîne invisible", "l’essayage", "ils arrivent", "hofmarschall", etc. The last drawing represents the boy realising that the king is naked.


LITERATURE

Related works: see the 18 original drawings for The Emperor's New Clothes that featured in the Karl Lagerfeld’s Estate sale (I, December 16, 2021 and II, May 5-6, 2022), including:

- https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/karl-karl-lagerfelds-estate-iii-day-sale/portfolio-the-emperors-new-clothes-the-fairy-tale

- https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/karl-karl-lagerfelds-estate-iii-day-sale/two-drawings-for-the-emperors-new-clothes-by-9

- https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/karl-karl-lagerfelds-estate-3/preparatory-drawings-for-the-series-the-emperors


PROVENANCE

Dedicatee perhaps Éric Pfrunder (1948-2022), Image Director at Chanel, later Artistic Director.

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