Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own | Crazy Little Things 2

Freddie Mercury – various awards Comprising: a ‘Daily Mirror Pop Club, British Pop Awards 1977 / Best Rock Band Queen’, in the form of a green onyx table lighter with engraved brass plaque, 19 cm. high; also a ‘Hitkrant Pop Weekly Best Single’ award for ‘We Are the Champions’ and best album award for News of the World December 1977, plastic and Perspex Last: 19 by 7 by 17cm., 7½ by 2¾ by 6¾in. (2) SPECIAL NOTICE This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.

View 1 of Lot 2080: Freddie Mercury – various awards

freddie mercury – various awards

Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own | On Stage

Freddie Mercury's white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit

Freddie Mercury's white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit ‘The White Queen’ by Wendy de Smet, worn by Freddie Mercury on stage for the 'Night At The Opera' tour, 1975-1976 a two-piece stage outfit comprising a catsuit and bolero of white [now aged to ivory] stretch satin. The catsuit with deep-cut zip-fastening front from waist to curved stand collar, the long narrow sleeves with partially concealed zips at cuffs - the cuffs and slightly flared trouser legs applied with quilted panels stitched and cut to resemble bird wings, these wrap-around trouser leg panels graduating in width from their apex below the knee to their widest point at the foot, each trouser leg with a stirrup of ribbed webbing at the base, labelled inside at the base of the neck ‘Wendy de Smet’ the label with an orange paper cleaning ticket with typescript date details: ‘Apr 13 77’ attached by a large safety pin. The corresponding quilted bolero tailored to resemble bird wings, the front with curved lines of stitching extending to the open edges to create ten feather-shaped panels either side, eight of which terminate in points. The wing-shaped back of this bolero with a pattern of eight lines of curved stitching – four panels either side simulating the back of wings, labelled inside at base of the neck ‘Wendy de Smet’. The distinctive stitching pattern on the reverse of this bolero distinguishes it as being the second of Freddie’s two bird wing boleros to be made in either December 1975 or January 1976 (qty 2) Freddie had been closely involved in the design of his ‘Mercury Wing’ stage costumes. He had approached Wendy with a pencil sketch of what he wanted, which was based on an idea of a character from Richard Dadd’s intricate masterpiece ‘The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke', the inspiration behind Freddie's song of the same name. Freddie wanted his stage persona to resemble a Mercurial god-like figure and once he and Wendy had worked together on this idea, she was given free rein to design the costume. It was Wendy who suggested adding winged panels to the cuffs and trouser legs, and to balance these out with a wing-shaped bolero (boleros are included in lots 43 and 151). Freddie provided the designer with the high-quality stretch satin fabric she was to use in the construction of these significant stage outfits. Three Mercury Wing catsuits and one winged bolero were made in the autumn of 1975 to coincide with the start of the album tour. A second bolero and a replacement third white catsuit (whose predecessor had shrunk when Freddie sent it to the drycleaners) were made at a later date, either before the end of the UK Tour in December 1975 or before the start of the US Tour in late January 1976. One catsuit (lot 43) has been identified as being worn in the promo video for 'Bohemian Rhapsody', so the replacement catsuit is either this example or lot 151. It seems probable that Freddie wore white leather platform shoes with this outfit (lots 149 and 171). Mercurial White Wing ensembles representing the good ‘White Queen’ were worn for the first half of the show, their evil counterparts the ‘Black Queens’ (lots 45 and 152) for the second half of the show during both the European and US legs of the 1975-76 tour. The visual contrast between black and white was central to Queen's visual image in the early years of their career. It symbolised a struggle between good and evil that was at the core of the fantasy elements of Queen's early lyrics, epitomised by two tracks on the band’s Queen II album, May's 'White Queen' and Mercury's 'March of the Black Queen'. The album itself was divided into 'Side White' (predominantly written by Brian May) and 'Side Black' (all songs by Freddie Mercury) - see lot 115. Freddie and the band’s devotion to this visual juxtaposition continued throughout the 1975 tour, and Freddie’s collaboration with Wendy de Smet meant his spectacular stage costumes were a perfect manifestation of the strong theme. In June 2023 Wendy Edmonds (née de Smet) confirmed her account of how her design for Freddie’s famous ‘Mercury Wing’ costume came about – originally published in 2011 in Queen in Cornwall by Rupert White. In September 1975 Wendy, who had trained as a fashion designer, was asked by Freddie to create His famous outfit the ‘Mercury Suit’: "Freddie wanted to look like the God of Mercury…he bought fabric from Borovick’s in Broadwick Street in London. You could buy stage fabric there. It was a stretch satin, skin tight, with a low neck and a zip. The sleeves were long and tight, and I made little padded wings on the cuff. And the wings on the heels were Velcroed on so they were detachable. They were quilted, like a bird’s wing and attached with Velcro on the front. He had the ideas and we worked on them together… Then I made him a little white bolero which you can also see him wearing in the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video [see lot 43] … I made several [catsuits] three or four of the white ones, but one of them shrank and I had to unpick it….” The wrap-around bird wing adornments on the trouser legs of the three White Queen catsuits in the auction are no longer removable but firmly stitched onto the trouser legs. On seeing the three auction catsuits recently, Wendy de Smet confirmed that the stitching of the leg panels to the trouser legs would have been done by Freddie himself. She suspects that Freddie required a greater security for the attachment that sewing would provide over the Velcro. Freddie had also added the stirrups of ribbed webbing sewn to the foot of each catsuit trouser leg himself. He had studied fashion design at Ealing College for a time and was very hands-on with the construction of his stage costumes. Freddie knew what he wanted and would make any practical amendments or embellishments he felt necessary and could do himself without consultation with the designer. Wendy visited Freddie at his Holland Road apartment for fittings: “Freddie always just wanted them really tight! It was great fun doing the costumes. They had my label ‘Wendy de Smet’ inside. I’ve still got the original newspaper pattern.” This and the two almost identical ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits, and their two ‘Black Queen’ counterparts, are confirmed as being the earliest examples of what was to become Freddie’s signature look in the mid to late 1970s. Photographs of Wendy Edmonds’ original paper pattern for the first quilted bolero (lot 43) show stitching lines for the quilting drawn on to it. The designer commented on the other examples that: “I changed the stitching on the back …but both fronts are the same”. A swatch of the original stretch satin fabric Wendy used to make the white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits and boleros has been donated by the designer to illustrate its original bright white hue and will be present at the auction view. Photographs of the swatch will also be available to view on request. LITERATURE Rupert White, Queen In Cornwall, Antenna Publications, 2022, 2nd Edition, pp.276-277 & photographs of Queen performing in Liverpool the evening after shooting the video for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Elstree Studios, 14 November 1975, showing Freddie wearing the ‘Mercury’ ensemble, illus. pp. 277 & 279 (illus.) Killer Queen, The Official Limited Edition: Mick Rock Photographs, Genesis Publications, 2003, pp.120, 166 and 167 (illus.) Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2012, p.66 (illus.) Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier, Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock, Voyageur Press, 2009, pp. 70. 84 & 91(illus.) and pp. 102-3 SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 151: Freddie Mercury's white 'Mercury Wing'  catsuit and bolero, by Wendy de Smet,  1975-76

freddie mercury's white 'mercury wing' catsuit and bolero, by wendy de smet, 1975-76

Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own | The Evening Sale

Freddie Mercury's white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit and bolero

Freddie Mercury's white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit and bolero a two-piece stage outfit comprising a catsuit and bolero of white [now aged to ivory] stretch satin by Wendy de Smet, worn in the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' promotional video, 1975, and on stage when touring A Night At The Opera, 1975-1976 The catsuit with deep-cut zip-fastening front from waist to curved stand collar, the long narrow sleeves zipped at the cuffs and embellished with four quilted panels terminating in points to resemble bird feathers (matching the design seen in the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video); the slightly flared trouser legs similarly applied with quilted bird-wing adornments, these wrap-around trouser leg panels graduating in width from their apex below the knee to their widest point at the foot, each trouser leg, with a stirrup of ribbed webbing at the base – it has been confirmed by Wendy de Smet that the stitching of the winged leg panels and the stirrups to the trouser legs was executed by Freddie Mercury himself - the unlabelled catsuit with an orange paper cleaning ticket with typescript date details: ‘Apr 13 77’ attached inside at the base of the neck by a large safety pin; The corresponding quilted bolero tailored to resemble bird wings, the front with curved lines of stitching extending to the open edges to create ten feather-shaped panels either side, nine of which terminate in points; the back shaped as two wings with lines of stitching creating three long panels either side simulating the back of wings, labelled inside at base of the neck ‘Wendy de Smet’ - the stitching on the reverse of the bolero identifies it as the one seen in the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video. (qty 2) Freddie was closely involved in the design of his ‘Mercury Wing’ stage costumes. In September 1975 he approached Wendy de Smet, who had trained as a fashion designer, to create his outfit: “Freddie wanted to look like the God of Mercury…he bought fabric from Borovick’s in Broadwick Street in London. You could buy stage fabric there. It was a stretch satin, skin tight, with a low neck and a zip. The sleeves were long and tight, and I made little padded wing on the cuff. And the wings on the heels were Velcroed on so they were detachable. They were quilted, like a bird’s wing and attached with Velcro on the front. He had the ideas and we worked on them together. I made [...] three or four of the white ones, but one of them shrank and I had to unpick it.” He had approached Wendy de Smet with a pencil sketch of what he wanted, which was based on an idea of a character from Richard Dadd’s intricate masterpiece ‘The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke', the inspiration behind Freddie's song of the same name. Freddie wanted his stage persona to resemble a Mercurial god-like figure and once he and Wendy had worked together on this idea, she was given free rein to design the costume. It was Wendy who suggested adding winged panels to the cuffs and trouser legs, and to balance these out with a wing-shaped bolero (boleros are included in lots 43 and 151). Freddie provided the designer with the high-quality stretch satin fabric she was to use in the construction of these significant stage outfits. Three ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits and one winged bolero were made in the autumn of 1975 to coincide with the start of the album tour. A second bolero and a replacement third white catsuit (either lot 150 or 151, the predecessor having shrunk when Freddie sent it to the drycleaners) were made at a later date, either before the end of the UK Tour in December 1975 or before the start of the US Tour in late January 1976. It seems probable that Freddie wore a pair of white leather platform shoes with this outfit (lot 171). In June 2023 Wendy Edmonds [nee de Smet] confirmed her account of how her design for Freddie’s famous ‘Mercury Wing’ costume came about – originally published in ‘Queen in Cornwall’ by Rupert White, first edition, 2011 The 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video which featured Freddie wearing this ‘Mercury Wing’ ensemble had a profound impact on the future of music industry promotion. As Freddie himself said: “We decided to put 'Rhapsody' on film and let people see it. We didn’t know how it was going to be looked upon or how they were going to receive it. To us it was just another form of theatre. But it just went crazy, and since then everybody’s been doing it…We realised that a video could get to a lot of people in a lot of countries without you actually being there, and you could release a record and a video simultaneously. It became very fast and it helped record sales greatly…” During both the European and US legs of the 1975-76 Queen tour, Mercurial White Wing ensembles representing the good ‘White Queen’ were worn for the first half of the show, their evil counterparts the ‘Black Queens’ (lots 45 and 152) for the second half of the show . The visual contrast between black and white was central to Queen's visual image in the early years of their career. It symbolised a struggle between good and evil that was at the core of the fantasy elements of Queen's early lyrics, epitomised by two tracks on the band’s Queen II album, May's 'White Queen' and Mercury's 'March of the Black Queen'. The album itself was divided into 'Side White' (predominantly written by Brian May) and 'Side Black' (all songs by Freddie Mercury) - see lot 115. Freddie and the band’s devotion to this visual juxtaposition continued throughout the 1975 tour, and Freddie’s collaboration with Wendy de Smet meant his spectacular stage costumes were a perfect manifestation of the strong theme. The wrap-around bird wing adornments on the trouser legs of the three White Queen catsuits in the auction are no longer removable but firmly stitched onto the trouser legs. On seeing the three auction catsuits recently, Wendy de Smet confirmed that the stitching of the leg panels to the trouser legs would have been done by Freddie himself. She suspects that Freddie required a greater security for the attachment that sewing would provide over the Velcro. Freddie had also added the stirrups of ribbed webbing sewn to the foot of each catsuit trouser leg himself. He had studied fashion design at Ealing College for a time and was very hands-on with the construction of his stage costumes. Freddie knew what he wanted and would make any practical amendments or embellishments he felt necessary and could do himself without consultation with the designer. Wendy visited Freddie at his Holland Road apartment for fittings: “Freddie always just wanted them really tight! It was great fun doing the costumes. They had my label ‘Wendy de Smet’ inside. I’ve still got the original newspaper pattern.” This and the two almost identical ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits, and their two ‘Black Queen’ counterparts, are confirmed as being the earliest examples of what was to become Freddie’s signature look in the mid to late 1970s. Photographs of Wendy Edmonds’ original paper pattern for this quilted bolero show stitching lines for the quilting drawn on to it. The designer commented on the other examples that: “I changed the stitching on the back …but both fronts are the same”. A swatch of the original stretch satin fabric Wendy used to make the white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits and boleros has been donated by the designer to illustrate its original bright white hue and will be present at the auction view. Photographs of the swatch will also be available to view on request. The ‘Mercury Wing‘ catsuits were worn on stage both with and without boleros. Freddie is also photographed wearing a ‘Mercury Wing’ bolero with a sleeveless black diamante studded catsuit (lot 162) on stage in January 1977, a combination which also featured on the cover of the U.S. music magazine Creem in May 1977. A swatch of the original stretch satin fabric Wendy used to make the white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits and boleros has been donated by the designer to illustrate its original bright white hue and will be present at the auction view. Photographs of the swatch will also be available to view on request. LITERATURE Rupert White, Queen In Cornwall, Antenna Publications, 2022, 2nd Edition, pp.276-277 & photographs of Queen performing in Liverpool the evening after shooting the video for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Elstree Studios, 14 November 1975, showing Freddie wearing the ‘Mercury’ ensemble, illus. pp. 277 & 279 (illus.) Killer Queen, The Official Limited Edition: Mick Rock Photographs, Genesis Publications, 2003, pp.120, 166 and 167 (illus.) Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2012, p.66 (illus.) Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier, Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock, Voyageur Press, 2009, pp. 70. 84 & 91(illus.) and pp. 102-3 SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 43: Freddie Mercury's white 'Mercury Wing' catsuit and bolero by Wendy de Smet, 1975-1976

freddie mercury's white 'mercury wing' catsuit and bolero by wendy de smet, 1975-1976

Freddie Mercury Autograph manuscript draft lyrics for songs for the album Queen, comprising: i) 'Keep Yourself Alive', brief notes on instrumentation ("Acoustic beginning then with electric"), 1 page, in black ballpoint, on a leaf of plain notepaper (204 x 127mm) ii) 'My Fairy King', autograph manuscript draft lyrics, with drafts of the entire song, 7 pages, and notes on vocal harmonies and instrumentation, 6 pages, in black ballpoint, on 8 leaves of plain notepaper (190 x 126mm), 1 leaf of lined notepaper (203 x 125mm) and one leaf of lined paper (254 x 204mm) iii) 'Liar', autograph draft lyrics of the first half of the song, and notes on instrumentation, 2 pages, black ballpoint, on 2 leaves of plain notepaper (204 x 126mm) iv) 'Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll', fair copy lyrics of the first two verses with minor corrections, written in capitals, almost certainly in the hand of Roger Taylor, 1 page, black ballpoint with one correction in pencil, lined paper (254 x 204mm) v) 'Mad the Swine', autograph manuscript draft lyrics, in black ballpoint and pencil, 3 pages, on 2 leaves of plain notepaper (204 x 126mm) vi) Track listings and further lyric fragments, 5 pages, chiefly in Freddie Mercury's hand, some in the hand of Roger Taylor, on various paper stocks including on the unused verso of a print-out of a computer programming routine by John Deacon, May 1971 altogether 25 pages on 19 leaves, 1971-72 A SUBSTANTIAL GROUP OF MANUSCRIPTS RELATING TO QUEEN'S DEBUT ALBUM. Queen had been formed in 1970 and the make-up of the band had been finalised in February 1971 with the arrival of John Deacon. They recorded a demo in September of the same year, on the back of which the owners of Trident Studios - Barry and Norman Sheffield - offered them a management contract. Queen had the use of Trident Studios whilst the Sheffield brothers tried to find the band a recording contract. They worked with producers John Anthony and Roy Thomas Baker (who would go on to produce four further Queen albums in the 70s) but they were only given recording time when the studios were dark, as a result of which - especially as Queen's perfectionism was already in evidence - recording stretched for several months. They were forced to work around the timetables of other more established artists: over the summer of 1972 Lou Reed was recording Transformer at Trident, which was produced by Bowie; and Queen were still in the studio later in the year when Bowie was back in the studio in his own right for Aladdin Sane. Queen's live sets gave the band a reasonably a large pool of songs, mostly by Freddie and Brian, from which to choose album tracks. The current lot includes extensive drafts for 'My Fairy King' - the song that includes the lines "Mother Mercury / Look what they've done to me", which inspired Freddie to adopt his new surname. There are also extensive musical notes for this song including the earliest examples of his notes on vocal harmonies - a feature that would be highly characteristic of Freddie's manuscripts for the coming years. His focus on work in the studio is also evident in his notes relating to the recording and mixing process, which describe for example where he wants sound levels to change, cues for the fade in of the piano, and how he wants to multi-track vocals. These notes were used concurrently with Freddie's red notebook (lot 104) and the drafts for 'Liar' are incomplete, and no loose manuscripts survive for two Mercury compositions on the album ('Great King Rat' and 'Jesus'). There are draft lyrics for 'Mad the Swine', which was recorded for the album but not released until 1991. The current lot also includes a fair copy of 'Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll' by Roger Taylor, which was probably written for studio use. Amongst the various fragments is a what appears to be a list of possible tracks for the album bearing evidence of the voting process by which a final selection was made. The album was completed before Trident had secured the band a record deal, but EMI signed them in March 1973 and the US label Elektra signed them the following month. The album was released on 13 July 1973 but it sold poorly on initial release and its only single, 'Keep Yourself Alive', failed to chart. SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 102: Freddie Mercury | Autograph manuscript lyrics of songs for the album Queen I, c.1971-72

freddie mercury | autograph manuscript lyrics of songs for the album queen i, c.1971-72

Freddie Mercury's formal navy suit worn for an ITV awards show, 1989, and on other occasions, with accessories

Freddie Mercury's formal navy suit worn for an ITV awards show, 1989, and on other occasions, with accessories A bespoke three-piece formal suit of navy self-striped wool, the double-breasted jacket with pointed lapels, flap pockets, slanted breast pocket, six black buttons to front fastening and four to each cuff, lined in navy blue satin with two inside pockets, the corresponding trousers with pleated front and concealed hook and eye fastening to waistband, lined in navy satin and a corresponding double-breasted waistcoat with pointed lapels, jetted pockets and six black buttons, the back of navy blue satin with adjustable strap, lined in ivory satin with a fine blue and burgundy stripe, all unlabelled but probably made by David Chambers; with an ivory cotton shirt with dot pattern weave, labelled ‘Tokio Kumagai, homme’; a tie of crinkled ivory silk labelled ‘Diamond by Tie Rack’; a cream satin evening scarf with short fringes either end, 114 cm. long (this scarf possibly dating from the mid-1970s); a white cotton handkerchief with the ‘P’ of the Pierre Cardin logo embroidered to one corner; and a pair of navy blue leather lace-up shoes, the insole labelled ‘Roland Cartier’, with leather soles, size 8 ½ (qty 8) This suit was worn by Freddie on various occasions in the mid to late 1980s, most notably in 1989 for the ITV awards show 'Goodbye To The 80s', when Queen won ‘Band Of The 80s’ – footage of the event shows Freddie on stage with Queen wearing this suit being presented with the award by Jonathan Ross and Cilla Black; also worn for Peter Straker’s 39th birthday party, Paramount City, London, 1986, where Freddie is photographed dancing with Anita Dobson, in publicity photographs with soprano Montserrat Caballé for the album Barcelona, 1987, the front cover of which features a photograph of Freddie wearing the waistcoat and trousers in this lot, and the bow tie from lot 2288; it was also worn for an event at the Royal Opera House Terrace Bar, 1987, where Freddie is photographed with Montserrat Caballé and Elaine Paige, amongst others. A photograph of him wearing the waistcoat and trousers in this lot, and the blue bow tie from Lot 261, was selected for the front cover of his eponymous posthumous album, 1992. Footage of Freddie wearing this suit can also be seen in the BAFTA-nominated BBC Imagine Documentary Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender, 2012 (Part II). LITERATURE Freddie Mercury, The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2020, p. 132 (illus.), the waistcoat and trousers worn with the blue satin bow-tie included in lot 261 Queen, The Complete Illustrated Lyrics, Backbeat Books, 2012, p. 25 (illus.), Freddie wearing an identical cream satin scarf to that included in this lot, worn for a publicity photoshoot, 1975) The Definitive Biography Of Freddie Mercury – Bohemian Rhapsody, Lesley Ann-Jones Hodder & Stoughton, Paperback Edition, 2012 (illus. between pages 232 & 233)

View 1 of Lot 269: Freddie Mercury's formal navy suit worn for an ITV awards show, 1989, and on other occasions, with accessories

freddie mercury's formal navy suit worn for an itv awards show, 1989, and on other occasions, with accessories

Queen 'Love of my Life', 1979 7 inch single-sided acetate record, Abbey Road studio label with manuscript captions 'I' 'Love of my Life' 'Queen', white sleeve, in envelope addressed to 'Mr P. Prester, Queen Office, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace Mews, off Alsop Place, London NW1' 'Love of my Life' was written by Freddie Mercury during the band's intensive summer in Surrey and Herefordshire in 1975. It was included on A Night at the Opera and soon became a live favourite. This single is an acoustic version of the song recorded live at Frankfurt on 2 February 1979 and released on 29 June 1979 as the single release for the album Live Killers. SPECIAL NOTICE This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.

View 1 of Lot 204: Queen | 'Love of my life', 7-inch acetate, 1979

queen | 'love of my life', 7-inch acetate, 1979

Freddie Mercury's white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit ‘The White Queen’ by Wendy de Smet, worn by Freddie Mercury on stage for the Night At The Opera Tour, 1975-1976 the catsuit with deep-cut zip-fastening front from waist to curved stand collar, the long narrow sleeves zipped at the cuffs and embellished with four quilted panels terminating in points to resemble bird wings; the slightly flared trouser legs similarly applied with quilted bird-wing adornments, these wrap-around trouser leg panels graduating in width from their apex below the knee to their widest point at the foot, each trouser leg with a stirrup of ribbed webbing at the base, labelled inside at the base of the neck ‘Wendy de Smet’ the label with an orange paper cleaning ticket with typescript date details: ‘Apr 13 77’ attached by a large safety pin. Freddie was closely involved in the design of his ‘Mercury Wing’ stage costumes. In September 1975 he approached Wendy de Smet, who had trained as a fashion designer, to create his outfit: “Freddie wanted to look like the God of Mercury…he bought fabric from Borovick’s in Broadwick Street in London. You could buy stage fabric there. It was a stretch satin, skin tight, with a low neck and a zip. The sleeves were long and tight, and I made little padded wing on the cuff. And the wings on the heels were Velcroed on so they were detachable. They were quilted, like a bird’s wing and attached with Velcro on the front. He had the ideas and we worked on them together. I made [...] three or four of the white ones, but one of them shrank and I had to unpick it.” He had approached Wendy de Smet with a pencil sketch of what he wanted, which was based on an idea of a character from Richard Dadd’s intricate masterpiece ‘The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke', the inspiration behind Freddie's song of the same name. Freddie wanted his stage persona to resemble a Mercurial god-like figure and once he and Wendy had worked together on this idea, she was given free rein to design the costume. It was Wendy who suggested adding winged panels to the cuffs and trouser legs, and to balance these out with a wing-shaped bolero (boleros are included in lots 43 and 151). Freddie provided the designer with the high-quality stretch satin fabric she was to use in the construction of these significant stage outfits. Three Mercury Wing catsuits and one winged bolero were made in the autumn of 1975 to coincide with the start of the album tour. A second bolero and a replacement third white catsuit (whose predecessor had shrunk when Freddie sent it to the drycleaners) were made at a later date, either before the end of the UK Tour in December 1975 or before the start of the US Tour in late January 1976. One catsuit (lot 43) has been identified as being worn in the promo video for 'Bohemian Rhapsody', so the replacement catsuit is either this example or lot 151. It seems probable that Freddie wore white leather platform shoes with this outfit (lots 149 and 171). In June 2023 Wendy Edmonds (née de Smet) confirmed her account of how her design for Freddie’s famous ‘Mercury Wing’ costume came about – originally published in 2011 in Queen in Cornwall by Rupert White. Mercurial White Wing ensembles representing the good ‘White Queen’ were worn for the first half of the show, their evil counterparts the ‘Black Queens’ (lots 45 and 152) for the second half of the show during both the European and US legs of the 1975-76 tour. The visual contrast between black and white was central to Queen's visual image in the early years of their career. It symbolised a struggle between good and evil that was at the core of the fantasy elements of Queen's early lyrics, epitomised by two tracks on the band’s Queen II album, May's 'White Queen' and Mercury's 'March of the Black Queen'. The album itself was divided into 'Side White' (predominantly written by Brian May) and 'Side Black' (all songs by Freddie Mercury) - see lot 115. Freddie and the band’s devotion to this visual juxtaposition continued throughout the 1975 tour, and Freddie’s collaboration with Wendy de Smet meant his spectacular stage costumes were a perfect manifestation of the strong theme. The wrap-around bird wing adornments on the trouser legs of the three White Queen catsuits in the auction are no longer removable but firmly stitched onto the trouser legs. On seeing the three auction catsuits recently, Wendy de Smet confirmed that the stitching of the leg panels to the trouser legs would have been done by Freddie himself. She suspects that Freddie required a greater security for the attachment that sewing would provide over the Velcro. Freddie had also added the stirrups of ribbed webbing sewn to the foot of each catsuit trouser leg himself. He had studied fashion design at Ealing College for a time and was very hands-on with the construction of his stage costumes. Freddie knew what he wanted and would make any practical amendments or embellishments he felt necessary and could do himself without consultation with the designer. Wendy visited Freddie at his Holland Road apartment for fittings: “Freddie always just wanted them really tight! It was great fun doing the costumes. They had my label ‘Wendy de Smet’ inside. I’ve still got the original newspaper pattern.” This and the two almost identical ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits, and their two ‘Black Queen’ counterparts, are confirmed as being the earliest examples of what was to become Freddie’s signature look in the mid to late 1970s. Photographs of Wendy Edmonds’ original paper pattern for the first quilted bolero (lot 43) show stitching lines for the quilting drawn on to it. The designer commented on the other examples that: “I changed the stitching on the back …but both fronts are the same”. A swatch of the original stretch satin fabric Wendy used to make the white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits and boleros has been donated by the designer to illustrate its original bright white hue and will be present at the auction view. Photographs of the swatch will also be available to view on request. LITERATURE Rupert White, Queen In Cornwall, Antenna Publications, 2022, 2nd Edition, pp.276-277 & photographs of Queen performing in Liverpool the evening after shooting the video for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Elstree Studios, 14 November 1975, showing Freddie wearing the ‘Mercury’ ensemble, illus. pp. 277 & 279 (illus.) Killer Queen, The Official Limited Edition: Mick Rock Photographs, Genesis Publications, 2003, pp.120, 166 and 167 (illus.) Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2012, p.66 (illus.) Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier, Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock, Voyageur Press, 2009, pp. 70. 84 & 91(illus.) and pp. 102-3 SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 150: Freddie Mercury's white ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit

freddie mercury's white ‘mercury wing’ catsuit

Freddie Mercury Autograph manuscript working lyrics for songs written for the album A Day at the Races, comprising: i) 'Tie Your Mother Down', autograph manuscript lyrics of the complete song with some variant lines, 2 pages, in blue ballpoint, on a single leaf of A4 lined paper, ii) 'You Take My Breath Away', 6 pages of autograph working lyrics including early versions of all verses and fragmentary phrases, and four pages of vocal harmonies, altogether 10 pages, black fibretip and blue ballpoint, text on rectos only, 10 leaves, chiefly British Midland Airways stationery with 1974 calendar (290 x 205mm) iii) 'The Millionaire Waltz', four pages of autograph working lyrics including a near-fair copy of the complete song and early drafts and fragments, and four pages of vocal harmonies, in black and red fibretip and pencil, text on rectos only, 8 leaves of British Midland Airways stationery with 1974 calendar (290 x 205mm) iv) 'Teo Toriatte', autograph manuscript lyrics, 1 page, black fibretip, British Midland Airways stationery with 1974 calendar (290 x 205mm) v) Draft tracklist, and two further leaves of fragmentary draft lyrics altogether 23 leaves, c.1976 A Day at the Races was recorded from July to November 1976 and released on 10 December. Queen had finished touring A Night at the Opera in April, so much of the writing is likely to have been done in that three-month hiatus, or else after they had already begun to work in the studio. 'Tie Your Mother Down' and 'You Take My Breath Away' were certainly completed by the beginning of September as they were incorporated into a brief series of live gigs they played across the UK at that time. There are extensive drafts for the simple love ballad 'You Take My Breath Away', from early fragments to the near-completed song, as well as vocal harmonies, although in the studio on this occasion these were all generated by multi-tracking Freddie's voice, rather than using the other band members. The drafts also show the development of 'The Millionaire Waltz', which grew into one of the most complex songs that Queen ever recorded: "Brian orchestrated it fully with guitars, like he's never done before. He went from tubes to piccolos to cellos. It took weeks. Brian's very finicky. That track is something that Queen had never undertaken before - a Strauss waltz. It's all about John Reid, actually, our manager at the time." (Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words, p.72). Mercury was undoubtedly the band's lead songwriter at this time - he also contributed 'Somebody to Love' (see lot 47) and 'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy' (see lot 166) to A Day at the Races. This lot also includes copies of two of Brian May's compositions in Freddie's handwriting, presumably for studio use: 'Teo Toriatte' incorporated Japanese lyrics as a thank-you to that country's many fans of the band; and 'Tie Your Mother Down' was a traditional raucous rocker that was a great addition to the band's live sets. Queen were now at the height of their popularity. On 18 September 1976 they played to a crowd of 200,000 at Hyde Park and A Day at the Races spent six weeks in the UK top ten. However, this was also the moment of punk rock, and the music press were not slow to contrast Queen's polish to the angry authenticity of up and coming punk bands. SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 168: Freddie Mercury | Autograph manuscript lyrics for songs on the album A Day at the Races, 1976

freddie mercury | autograph manuscript lyrics for songs on the album a day at the races, 1976

Freddie Mercury Autograph manuscript working lyrics to songs for News of the World, comprising: i) 'Sheer Heart Attack', copy of the song in Freddie Mercury's autograph with one correction, in black ballpoint and fibretip, two pages ii) 'Get Down, Make Love', working draft lyrics in blue and black ballpoint and fibretip, six pages iii) 'My Melancholy Blues', extensive working draft fragments, in blue and black ballpoint and fibretip, 13 pages, plus two blanks iv) Miscellaneous lyric fragments, on the verso of a promotional logo for A Day At The Races, 1 page v) 'It's Late', copy of the song in Freddie Mercury's autograph including a cancelled verse, 4 pages vi) 'Feelings Feelings' (here titled 'Now that I'm Here'), partial draft with revisions, in blue and black ballpoint, 1 page, lined paper removed from an exercise book (253 x 200mm), frayed at edges Altogether 29 leaves (plus two blanks), text on rectos only, all but three leaves on British Midland Airways stationery with 1974 calendar (290 x 203mm), c.1977 A SUBSTANTIAL GROUP OF WORKING LYRICS RELATING TO QUEEN'S SIXTH ALBUM. The band finished touring A Day at the Races in June 1977, and the following month returned to the studio to record a fresh album. In an interview with NME in June Freddie admitted that "We haven't written a damned thing yet". This was probably an exaggeration but it does suggest that most of these lyrics date from the summer of 1977. Freddie Mercury's most significant contribution to the new album was 'We Are The Champions' (the lyrics for which are lot 49), which was paired with Brian May's 'We Will Rock You' as a double a-side and released ahead of the album. His two other contributions to the album showed his versatility. 'Get Down, Make Love' is one of Queen's most explicitly erotic songs with a funky groove influenced by the dance music of the New York gay club scene. In contrast, the ballad 'My Melancholy Blues' sounds like it originated in a very different New York venue: a smoky jazz club where Freddie croons at the piano. This group of manuscripts also includes Freddie's handwritten copies of songs by other members of the band. 'Sheer Heart Attack' was written by Roger Taylor, originally for the album of the same name, whilst 'It's Late' was written by Brian May. The lyrics for these songs were presumably copies by Freddie for use in the studio, and the revisions that they contain are likely to have been made as the song was rehearsed. Also included in the lot are lyrics to 'Feelings Feelings' (here with a different title), which was also by Brian May. This song was recorded in the News of the World sessions but was not released until 2011. It is written on different paper stock from the rest of the manuscripts and is similar in appearance to lyrics from the early 1970s, so perhaps the song was first written at an earlier date. News of the World was produced with a more pared-down sound than previous Queen records, and as a result this group of manuscripts does not include the notes on vocal harmonies that are so characteristic of Freddie Mercury's earlier drafts. The band were becoming uneasy with their sound, worrying that A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races may have been overproduced, and in 1977 punk was bringing a new aesthetic to pop music. Queen epitomised the grandiose rock music that punk was trying to topple, but the band entwined with the Sex Pistols in particular in curious ways. It was Freddie Mercury's toothache that had left a gap in the schedule on British TV's Today programme that led to the band's notorious interview with Bill Grundy. The two bands were also recording at Wessex Studios at the same time: "You can imagine us and the whole punk rock and anti-establishment thing under one roof. Anyway, I got Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious in to listen to one of our tracks and I said that I would sing on one of their songs if they sang on one of mine, and you should have seen them. They were like, 'We can't sing with Freddie Mercury!' I was wearing ballet pumps at the time, and things like that." (Freddie Mercury: A Life, in his Own Words, p.22) SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 184: Freddie Mercury | Autograph manuscript lyrics for songs for News of the World, c.1977

freddie mercury | autograph manuscript lyrics for songs for news of the world, c.1977

Rock & Roll

﻿Queen Boiler Suit from the "Radio Ga Ga" music video shoot, signed by the band Three-piece "paper" boiler suit including a pair of trousers, a long-sleeved top, and hood, signed in blue ballpoint by Freddie Mercury, in blue ink by Brian May, and in black ballpoint by John Deacon and Roger Taylor, signed additionally by May and Deacon, and by Queen manager Paul Prenter, and Queen Fan Club secretary Jacky Smith; some soiling and wear. The boiler suit was worn by one of the 400 extras who participated in the filming of the music video for Queen’s "Radio Ga Ga." which took place at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex, England, on 24 November 1983. “Radio Ga Ga” was written by Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, and released as a single with "I Go Crazy," written by Brian May as the B-side. As MTV gained in popularity, and it seemed the visual would supersede the aural, the song was composed as a nostalgic homage to the format of radio. It was a smash hit, reaching number one in no fewer than 19 countries. The music video for “Radio Ga Ga” was the work of David Mallet, and incorporated clips from—and the aesthetic of—Fritz Lang’s German expressionist masterpiece, Metropolis (1927). As Queen travels through Metropolis, the scenes are intercut with people sheltering in their homes, in what is presumably wartime, and listening to the radio, as well as footage form earlier Queen videos. The band then lands on stage, and performs in front of a crowd of individuals all wearing the identical boiler suit. At the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for "Radio Ga Ga" received a Best Art Direction nomination.

View 1 of Lot 93: Queen | Boiler Suit from the "Radio Ga Ga" music video shoot, signed by the band

queen | boiler suit from the "radio ga ga" music video shoot, signed by the band

Queen Live Killers. EMI Records, 1979 LP in original gatefold sleeve (catalogue number EMSP 330), signed on the front cover by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, with the original red and green inner sleeves; barely a trace of ringwera, some very minor rubbing and creasing, green inner sleeve slightly splitting at two edges. [With:] The official tour program for the 1979 Crazy Tour; mail order form clipped from rear cover. [And with:] A signed letter of authenticity from Tracks Ltd., printing a letter of provenance from the original owner. The '79 live double album, signed by the band. According to an HMV advertisement included in the present official tour program, "Until 29th December the HMV Shop are reducing all past Queen albums. There's £2 off the list price of the double album 'Live Killers', featuring some of their biggest hits. And from the 1st December the first 100 copies of 'Live Killers' sold through the 36 HMV Shops are autographed by Queen." The letter of provenance included with the record states that the original owner purchased this signed copy from an HMV in Liverpool. The record captured the band's live sound at the height of their arena tours, including a mix of greatest hits and less-famous songs.

View 1 of Lot 92: Queen | "Live Killers" signed by the band

queen | "live killers" signed by the band

Queen Queen Summer Tour 1977. Np, [1977] Square folio (285 x 285 mm). Caption title, numerous photographic prints of live performances, many of which full-page; mild browning at foot of text leaves, a few minor creases, two marks in pen to list of tour dates. Side-stapled in original printed wrappers, signed by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon on the front cover; old vertical fold, light foxing and stray soiling to wrappers. The tour program for the European leg of the "A Day at the Races" tour, signed by the band. The summer 1977 tour was a pivotal moment for Queen. It was on this tour that "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Brighton Beach" were performed at full-length for the first time in their career, and it was where the live debut of "Somebody to Love." It was during the European leg of the tour that the band recognized the massive success they had achieved, when they heard first heard their fans singing along to every word of their songs; according to Brian May, the experience of this tour inspired the songs "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You." Though the program lists seventeen performances, there were in fact nineteen on the tour; absent from the program are the 19 May show in Switzerland and the final 7 June show in London.

View 1 of Lot 91: Queen | The 1977 Summer Tour program, signed by the band

queen | the 1977 summer tour program, signed by the band

Beveridge Queen concept art, 1975 ink drawing (46 x 30.5cm), signed and dated 1975, paper loss to lower outer corner, marginal tears, horizontal fold mark [with:] photocopy of ink drawing, signed and dated 1975 This concept artwork incorporates the 'Q' logo and the crown with the four band members in the fantasy style that Queen utilised in the early to mid 1970s alongside a central female figure. Accompanying this is a photocopy of another piece of concept art by the same artist, signed 'Beveridge', titled 'The Black Queen holds Aeriel Court'. The style is reminiscent of Richard Dadd's artworks. SPECIAL NOTICE This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.

View 1 of Lot 2036: Beveridge | Queen concept art, 1975

beveridge | queen concept art, 1975

Freddie Mercury’s Fairy Feller t-shirt A black cotton t-shirt, the front with a printed design in white of the Queen crest, the back with printed white lettering ‘FAIRY FELLER’, with ivory ‘silk’ label printed in black ‘Walt Disney T Shirts by Bamcrest’ stitched to inside seam at back of the neck – it is thought very few T-shirts such as this were made; they were apparently only given to the band and crew members Freddie’s song The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke was inspired by a highly intricate painting of the same name of 1855-1864 by Victorian artist Richard Dadd, housed in the Tate gallery, London, which held a particular resonance for him. When working on the song for the band’s second album, Queen II, Freddie, with his passion for detail, insisted that the band and the record producer Roy Thomas Baker accompany him to the Tate Gallery to study Richard Dadd’s work from which he derived his song. Mary Austin in a recent rare interview with Peter Aspden for the Financial Times [13 May 2023] spoke about how well Mercury could articulate his appreciation of art. “What a great teacher he was!...He took me to the Tate Gallery, he wanted to introduce me to the work of Richard Dadd [the Victorian painter of supernatural themes, who created many of his pictures when he was a patient in homes for the mentally ill]. He told me the complete story behind him, and explained every detail of this very intricate painting, with such expert knowledge” . The painting was The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke. LITERATURE -‘Hammer to fall’ Peter Aspden interview with Mary Austin, FT Weekend, Life & Arts, 13 May 2023, pp.1-2 -‘Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock’ , Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier; Voyageur Press, 2009 .pp.35-36 -‘Queen The Complete Illustrated Lyrics’, Backbeat Books, 2012, p.73 SPECIAL NOTICE This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.

View 1 of Lot 2014: Freddie Mercury's Fairy Feller t-shirt, circa 1974

freddie mercury's fairy feller t-shirt, circa 1974

Freddie Mercury’s vintage jacket worn regularly in the mid-1970s, including for Top Of The Pops rehearsal and in numerous promotional photographs Vintage Renaissance-style short jacket in rich burgundy silk velvet, stitched overall with fine gold-coloured thread in a honeycomb pattern, open fronted with tie fastenings at the waist, quilted shoulders heavily pleated at the top, the pleats graduating in size to the hem, full balloon sleeves with covered drawstring at the cuffs, lined in deep red ‘silk’, unlabelled This cherished burgundy velvet jacket, acknowledged by Freddie as a favourite, was regularly worn by him between 1974 and 1976 for both individual and group photo shoots. One of its earliest appearances is in a publicity photograph of October 1974, in which Freddie appears with his band members at a party at EMI to celebrate the success of the single Killer Queen. The jacket's next photographic appearance dates from a solo Mick Rock shoot in which Freddie poses in his Holland Road flat in December 1974 (see lot 159). Mick Rock describes this garment as Freddie’s “favourite jacket of the time […] He wore it all the time until he started to make some money and found Zandra Rhodes”. In 1975 Freddie is photographed wearing this jacket on his first trip to Japan at a gold disc presentation event on 18 April 1975 – the day before the opening night of Queen’s Japanese Tour in Tokyo. He can also be seen in this jacket at the presentation of an award from ‘Music Life’ magazine for Best Album of the Year; on stage for a rehearsal for BBC’s Top Of The Pops show in November 1974; and at Queen’s party celebrating the release of A Day At The Races, at Kempton Park, October 1976. In addition, lot 8 includes (no.78) a black and white image of Freddie wearing this jacket whilst walking in a city street with his bandmates. LITERATURE Freddie Mercury The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, 2012, illus. pp.51-53, 58-59. Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier, Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock, Voyageur Press, 2009, illus.pp.89-90. Queen The Complete Illustrated Lyrics, Backbeat Books, 2012, illus. p.237. SPECIAL NOTICE This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.

View 1 of Lot 133: Freddie Mercury's vintage jacket, worn regularly in the mid-1970s

freddie mercury's vintage jacket, worn regularly in the mid-1970s

Splendour: The Philippe Missillier Collection of Islamic Arms and Armour 

the steel head with twelve flanges fully mercury gilded, the silver cap and upper band with banded decoration, the silver lower band and pommel cap with chased vegetal decoration, the haft of leather-covered wood

the steel head with twelve flanges fully mercury gilded, the silver cap and upper band with banded decoration, the silver lower band and pommel cap with chased vegetal decoration, the haft of leather-covered wood 59cm.

View 1 of Lot 23: An Ottoman Mace, Turkey, 17th Century

an ottoman mace, turkey, 17th century

the handle in the form of  Mercury, the waist cast with three bands of ornament , the upper band with birds amidst intricate scrolling foliage, festoons of flowers below

a bronze hand bell

Images of Enlightenment

each with a figure seated on a lotus pod surrounded by layers of gilt-bronze petals, supported on a stem with foliate scrolls on four sides, issuing from a jar draped with fluttering ribbons, above a waisted spreading foot decorated with swirling waves and lappets bands, one figure representing the queen, the other the minister (2)

a pair of cloisonne enamel and gilt-bronze symbolic offeringschina, qing dynasty, 19th century

a walnut and feather banded chest on stand, queen anne with restorations, the moulded...

a small walnut and featherbanded bureau, queen anne, later veneered and banded, the...

Freddie Mercury's ‘Black Queen’ catsuit by Wendy de Smet

Freddie Mercury's ‘Black Queen’ catsuit by Wendy de Smet Worn by Freddie Mercury on stage Christmas Eve, 1975, at the Hammersmith Odeon, and on tour, 1975-1976 a catsuit of black stretch satin slashed to the waist at the front with angular, shaped neckline decorated either side at the top with several frond-shaped tabs, both the deep cut front and long tight sleeves with zip fastenings, the suit with slightly flared legs, the right shoulder and front left panel at one time applied with large imitation diamonds, since removed, labelled inside ‘Wendy de Smet’ with an orange paper cleaning ticket with typescript date details: ‘Apr 13 77’ attached by a large safety pin The ‘Black Queens’ were made by Wendy de Smet in the autumn of 1975 to coincide with the start of the tour promoting the album A Night At The Opera. The designer made two versions this one (see also lot 45). They represented the evil counterparts to the White ‘Mercury Wing’ outfits and although similar in basic design were cut with a radically lower neckline. In conversation with Wendy Edmonds (née de Smet) in June 2023 she informed us how involved Freddie had been with the concept of the design of his iconic catsuits: "he wanted [the two black suits] to look more evil as [they] symbolized the Black Queen”. He had provided the designer with the high quality stretch satin fabric she was to use in the construction of both the darkly symbolic significant ‘Black Queen’ costumes and their ‘good’ white Mercurial Wing counterparts. She confirmed to us that she had designed both the evil Queens in plain black without any decoration and that Freddie had sewn any jewelled adornments on himself. This catsuit is photographed being worn by Freddie on stage complete with its ‘jewelled’ embellishments in 1975-76, most notably in the second half of Queen’s momentous Christmas Eve concert at the Hammersmith Odeon at the close of the U.K. tour. This was one of Queen's most famous shows of all time, broadcast live simultaneously on BBC Radio and TV. It is now understood that the imitation diamonds showing on the catsuit then had been added by Freddie and were subsequently removed by him and repurposed as adornments on a black sleeveless and footless elastane catsuit with low scoop neckline (lot 162), which he wore on stage in 1976-77. This ‘Black Queen’ and its partner ‘The Spine Suit’ (lot 45) were worn by Freddie for the second half of the show during both the European US and overseas legs of the A Night At The Opera Tour, 1975-1976. It seems probable that Freddie wore a pair of black leather square-toed lace up shoes with this outfit, included in this auction (lot 147). The visual contrast between black and white was central to Queen's visual image in the early years of their career. It symbolised the struggle between good and evil that was at the core of the fantasy elements of Queen's early lyrics, epitomised by two tracks on Queen II: May's 'White Queen' and Mercury's 'March of the Black Queen'. The album itself was divided into 'Side White' (predominantly written by Brian May) and 'Side Black' (with Freddie Mercury as chief composer). Freddie and the band’s devotion to this visual juxtaposition continued throughout 1975-76. Freddie’s collaboration with Wendy de Smet meant his spectacular stage costumes were a perfect manifestation of the strong theme. LITERATURE Rupert White, Queen In Cornwall, Antenna Publications, 2022, 2nd Edition, pp.276-277 Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2012 Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier, Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock, Voyageur Press, 2009 SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 152: Freddie Mercury's 'Black Queen' catsuit by Wendy de Smet, worn on stage, 1975-76

freddie mercury's 'black queen' catsuit by wendy de smet, worn on stage, 1975-76

Freddie Mercury Autograph manuscript working lyrics to 'Don't Stop Me Now' comprising four pages each with a partial revised draft of the song, on lined A4 paper, and three additional pages with early fragments ("Don't stop me now / I'm having a Good Time yeah / Leave me alone") with unrelated fragments, blue, red and black ink, 6 leaves, c.1978 FREDDIE MERCURY'S WORKING DRAFT LYRICS TO HIS EXUBERANT CELEBRATION OF HEDONISM, WHICH HAS BECOME ONE OF QUEEN'S MOST POPULAR SONGS. 'Don't Stop Me Now' has a history that is very different from most of Queen's major hits. Today it is the band's second most streamed song (after 'Bohemian Rhapsody'); it has been used to advertise everything from cars to almond milk; cover versions have appeared everywhere from a space train cabaret in British TV staple Doctor Who to a promo for American Idol; in 2016 researchers at the University of Missouri even reported that it topped a study into songs most likely to have an uplifting effect on the listener (beating 'Good Vibrations' and 'Dancing Queen' to the top spot). However, it was - by Queen standards - a relatively minor hit on release, reaching number 9 in the UK charts and only number 86 in the USA. It was not included in the set list for the band's US tour of Jazz in autumn 1978 and remained in relative obscurity for the remainder of Mercury's career. It was not even performed in the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. In 2019 Billboard Magazine traced the song's route to ubiquity, beginning with the 2004 comedy zombie movie Shaun of the Dead, surely the funniest use of a Queen song in film aside, of course, from Wayne's World. When a zombie apocalypse has overwhelmed suburban London survivors take refuge, naturally enough, in their local pub, but their attempt at stealth is fatally undermined by the pub jukebox, which is mistakenly turned on and begins to blare out 'Don't Stop Me Now'. In a memorable scene, the group batter the zombified landlord with pool cues in time with the song whilst desperately trying to turn off the jukebox as a horde of zombies gather outside. The film's success introduced Queen's song to a new generation. Its visibility increased as 'Don't Stop Me Now' was performed by a range of artists in the years that followed: a faithful cover of the song by McFly reached Number 1 in the UK in 2006, Katy Perry performed it live in 2009, and it featured prominently in the US TV series Glee in 2013. The song's positivity, catchy melody, and versatile message allow it to fit a wide range of scenarios; as one DJ put it to Billboard, "It fits everything, from your baby learning how to walk to an 80-year-old running a marathon". When written, however, the song clearly referred to the hedonistic lifestyle that Freddie Mercury had begun to embrace by the late '70s: it was a paean to sex and drugs and rock and roll. In the video, Mercury sings the song - which of course includes lines such as "I'm a sex machine ready to reload" - whilst wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo for 'Mineshaft' (lot 202), a gay leather bar and sex club in Manhattan. Other members of the band were less certain that being "out of control" was something to celebrate: "I thought it was a lot of fun but, yes, I did have an undercurrent of feeling of are we talking about danger here because we were worried about Freddie at this point and I think that feeling lingers" (Brian May, interviewed in 2011, quoted in Somebody to Love, p.159). The current drafts show Mercury crafting the song, beginning with an early draft including the title and fragmentary lyrics in which he compares himself to an "Electric shark" and "a pistol shot" as well as the familiar "shooting star". More complete drafts include discarded lines such as "I'm made of hot stuff", "Wanna send a supersonic message to you" (an alternative to "Wanna make a supersonic man out of you"), and "I'll do what I want whenever I want to". There is also an early version of the slower introductory verse. He continued to revise the song after he has written it into his notebook (lot 53) and one version of the song found here is a fair copy produced after the notebook version of the song. SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 51: Freddie Mercury | Autograph manuscript draft lyrics for 'Don't Stop Me Now', c.1978

freddie mercury | autograph manuscript draft lyrics for 'don't stop me now', c.1978

Freddie Mercury's 'Spine Suit' A 'Black Queen' catsuit by Wendy de Smet and hand-decorated By Freddie Mercury, worn on stage for the A Night At The Opera tour, 1975-1976 a catsuit of black stretch satin slashed to the waist at the front with angular, shaped neckline decorated either side at the top with several frond-shaped tabs, the deep-cut front and long narrow sleeves with zip fastenings, the back applied with a ridged ‘spine’ of padded satin cut in a jagged pattern and studded either side with double row of large imitation diamonds, both sleeves and shoulders similarly decorated, the catsuit with slightly flared legs, label removed at neck - the ‘jewelled’ embellishments hand-sewn by Freddie Mercury The ‘Black Queens’ were made by Wendy de Smet in the autumn of 1975 to coincide with the start of the tour promoting the album A Night At The Opera. The designer made two versions this one (see also lot 152). They represented the evil counterparts to the White ‘Mercury Wing’ outfits and although similar in basic design were cut with a radically lower neckline, and were worn with a pair of platform shoes (probably lot 147). In conversation with Wendy Edmonds (née de Smet) in June 2023, she explained how involved Freddie had been with the concept of the design of his iconic catsuits: "he wanted [the two black suits] to look more evil as [they] symbolized the Black Queen”. He had provided the designer with the high quality stretch satin fabric she was to use in the construction of both the darkly symbolic significant ‘Black Queen’ costumes and their ‘good’ white Mercurial Wing counterparts. She confirmed to us that she had designed both the evil Queens in plain black without any decoration and that Freddie had sewn any jewelled adornments on himself: “Freddie knew how to sew. He was pretty good, so for example, he’d at least sew on sequins himself". De Smet's account of her designs for Freddie’s famous white ‘Mercury Wing’ and their dark ‘Black Queen’ counterparts was originally published in Rupert White's Queen in Cornwall. The visual contrast between black and white was central to Queen's visual image in the early years of their career. It symbolised the struggle between good and evil that was at the core of the fantasy elements of Queen's early lyrics, epitomised by two tracks on Queen II: May's 'White Queen' and Mercury's 'March of the Black Queen'. The album itself was divided into 'Side White' (predominantly written by Brian May) and 'Side Black' (with Freddie Mercury as chief composer). Freddie and the band’s devotion to this visual juxtaposition continued throughout 1975-76. Freddie’s collaboration with Wendy de Smet meant his spectacular stage costumes were a perfect manifestation of the strong theme. LITERATURE ‘Rupert White, Queen In Cornwall, Antenna Publications, 2022, 2nd Edition, pp.276-277 Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2012 Phil Sutcliffe with Peter Hince, Mick Rock, Reinhold Mack and Billy Squier, Queen The Ultimate Illustrated History of The Crown Kings of Rock, Voyageur Press, 2009 Mick Rock and Queen, Killer Queen, The Official Limited Edition, Genesis Publications, 2003, pp. 33, 40, 41, 125, 128 & 129. SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 45: Freddie Mercury's 'Spine Suit' – a 'Black Queen' catsuit by Wendy de Smet worn on stage for the A Night At The Opera tour, 1975-1976

freddie mercury's 'spine suit' – a 'black queen' catsuit by wendy de smet worn on stage for the a night at the opera tour, 1975-1976

The Sex Pistols: The Stolper-Wilson Collection

Animation City Single-cel composite for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, c. 1978 (400 x 320mm.), framed Front view of the ship’s mast with sails from the final credit sequence of the film. The central sail carries Jamie Reid’s graphic for ‘God Save the Queen’. Subsequent to his split from the band, John Lydon refused to take part in the film. As a result Glitterbest decided to construct a small number of animated sequences to aid in the reconstruction of the story of the Sex Pistols, including here the final credit sequence. Apart from short sequences of concert footage Johnny Rotten only appears in the film as an animated cartoon character.

View 1 of Lot 63: Animation City | Single-cel composite for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, c. 1978

animation city | single-cel composite for the great rock 'n' roll swindle, c. 1978

Queen Six early posters, 1970s Poster for the release of Queen (75.5 x 50.5cm), 1973, cockling, light soiling (qty 3) Poster for the release of Queen II (75.6 x 51.0,cm), 1974, small tear to lower margin, light creasing ﻿Poster 'Mel Bush presents Queen Nuts' (74.5 50.9cm), Sunday 12 March [1974], Rainbow Theatre, London, marginal paper loss and creasing to upper left corner Poster, Queen tour, Japan, Nippon Budokan Arena, 22nd March | 21 March | 1 April 1976, (64.8 x 51.6cm), creasing, small marginal tears The Queen poster uses a shot from the early Douglas Puttifoot photoshoot, see lot 112 in On Stage. The Queen II poster uses the shots by Mick Rock for the B-side of the album, see lot 128 in On Stage. Queen played three sold-out shows at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park in 1974, the first in March, for the Queen II tour, and the latter two in November. The band followed up their March performance with the Live At The Rainbow LP. Queen's Japanese tour for A Night at the Opera took place in March 1976, for photos from this tour see lot 1042. SPECIAL NOTICE This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.

View 1 of Lot 2007: Queen | Six early posters, 1970s

queen | six early posters, 1970s

Chinese Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Florence and Herbert Irving Gift

cast with concentric circles centering a pierced domed knop, the innermost band with four prowling winged felines each shown in profile in high relief and divided by raised squares each enclosing four characters, the following band with twelve raised squares each enclosing one character and interspersed with twelve semicircles cast with whorl-patterns, all bordered by a band of darts, the rim with a 59-character inscription dated to Zhongping sannian (Zhongping third year), and including a dedication citing the King Father of the East and the Queen Mother of the West, all enclosed by a band of brocade pattern, the mirror face slightly convex

a silvered bronze 'beast' inscribed mirror eastern han dynasty, dated to the third year of zhongping, corresponding to 186 ad |

Arts of Europe

with a later veneered Siena marble top with a red marble border above a frieze centred by a ribbon-tied oval medallion with the mask of Mercury amongst a band of scrolling foliage and flowerheads, each corner with a beaded octagonal panel enclosing a patera, each stop-fluted turned tapering legs headed by a husk draped bucranium terminating in foliate carved feet

an italian carved giltwood console table, roman late 18th century

a queen anne secretaire cabinet, with feather banding, the flap enclosing an arrangement...

a walnut and feather banded chest of drawers, queen anne and later, the moulded top...

Freddie Mercury Pen and ink drawings for the Queen Crest including a finished version of the full design, and eight further drawings of fairies and other details, on 9 leaves of tracing paper, together with two prints of the crest in gold ink on black card, various sizes (from 163 x 200mm to 127 x 115mm), all together in an envelope (labelled "Sketches for Queen Crest"), c.1972 FREDDIE MERCURY'S ORIGINAL ARTWORK FOR THE QUEEN CREST. Freddie Mercury originally designed a band logo for use on the artwork for their debut album, where it appears on the back cover. The crest resembles a heraldic coat of arms - giving it a suitably regal aura - and incorporates the zodiac signs of the band members: fairies for Virgo (Mercury), lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor) and a crab for Cancer (May). At its centre is a crown in a Q, and the device is surmounted by a phoenix. The crest has now been a central part of Queen's visual iconography for fifty years. SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 110: Freddie Mercury | Ink drawings for the Queen Crest, c.1972

freddie mercury | ink drawings for the queen crest, c.1972

Freddie Mercury and Queen A group of manuscript lyrics, comprising: i) Freddie Mercury, autograph manuscript lyrics of 5 songs: 'I'm going down to the city', 'Living for the Hangman' (beginning "A path of moonlight trodden leaves...", two versions), 'Steamflier' (beginning "There's been a redskin brave..."), and two songs by The Nice ('The Cry of Eugene' and 'Tantalizing Maggie'); altogether 8 pages, in blue, black, and green inks and pencil, on 5 leaves of various paper stocks, various sizes, probably early 1970s ii) Queen, lyrics of 5 songs in various hands: 'Not for Sale (Polar Bear)' (beginning "In a bright shop window sits the Polar Bear...") in the hand of Brian May; corrected typescript of 'I Hear a Hint of Jasmin' (beginning "i'm wondering if its all a hype..."); untitled song beginning "(You) just stand there, and flash those evil eyes" in the hand of Roger Taylor; 'I'm a Man' by Bo Diddley; and 'No Money Down' by Chuck Berry; in black ink, typescript, and pencil, on four leaves, various paper stocks, probably early 1970s iii) Freddie Mercury, 'The Man From Manhattan', two manuscript copies of the song, both in block capital and with scattered revisions, 2 pages, and one page of vocal harmonies in Mercury's hand, 1 page, on 3 leaves in different paper stocks, mid-1970s iv) Further lyric fragments chiefly by Freddie Mercury but some also by Brian May and others, and related notes (e.g. "Queen: song ideas"), c. 31 pages in various inks, on 25 leaves of paper, various paper stocks and sizes, probably early 1970s This group of manuscript lyrics includes a range of songs that were not recorded for any of Queen's albums. Most of them date from the band's very early years, or predate Queen entirely. 'Living for the Hangman' was regularly performed live by Queen in the early 70s but never recorded (although it does seem to have been considered for inclusion on their debut album as it is found on possibly track listings, see lot 102). 'Steamflier' and 'I'm going down to the city' are not known to have been performed ('Steamflier is also found in Freddie's early notebook, lot 104). The song 'Steamflier' is set in the American West and the protagonist is on the run. It may relate to the "Cowboy Song" recalled by Chris Smith, which is supposed to have included the line "Mama, just kiilled a man" and have been the origin of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - although the lyrics here do not include that crucial line. There are also transcripts by Freddie of two songs by the prog rock band The Nice, presumably for live performance. The group also includes a number of songs that were covered by Queen in their early years. These include rock and roll classics as well as 'Polar Bear', which was written for Brian May and Roger Taylor's early band, Smile. The exception is 'The Man from Manhattan'. This song, which was inspired by The Godfather, was written by Eddie Howell, who was a client of David Minns (Freddie Mercury's boyfriend in the mid-70s). Freddie heard Howell perform the song and asked if he could produce it. The notes show the characteristic harmonies that Mercury added to the track, on which Freddie played piano and sang backing vocals whilst Brian May added a guitar solo. SPECIAL NOTICE No right to reproduce or commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property or image rights in any lot is included with the sale of the lot (including but not limited to song lyrics, sketches, drawings and garment designs). Queen Productions Limited, Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights. No right to exhibit in public or reproduce this lot is included with the sale of this lot without the prior written consent of Queen Productions Limited, who shall act in good faith to consider any such requests.

View 1 of Lot 101: Freddie Mercury and Queen | Miscellaneous manuscript lyrics, 1970s

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