The most famous example of EH Shepard's illustrations for AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories is set to appear at Christie's on December 12 in London.
 EH Shepard's work is usually met with strong results at auction |
The work is expected to provide one of the main draws in the auction house's sale of "the finest single owner collection of original book illustrations", which is owned by retired British film director Michael Winner. It will include more than 100 ink and watercolour illustrations from some of the world's best-loved artists.
Winner commented: "It was many years ago that I went into an old bookshop in the Charing Cross Road [London]; there I saw two paintings by Arthur Rackham which I found utterly memorable. They had a quality which was unique. From then on I became a collector: I was hooked. There were no aspects of my collection that I did not appreciate, whether it was the deep blue colours of Dulac or the childlike simplicity of Attwell."
EH Shepard's work has great appeal for collectors and continues to see strong results whenever it appears at auction. The majority of his finest pieces are now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Bodelian Library, Oxford, making quality illustrations a scarcity for private collectors.
The present lot, entitled "Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin", is the very first depiction of Winnie the Pooh with Christopher Robin. It originates from Milne's 1926 book Winnie the Pooh, and is the original pencil sketch that proved instrumental in making the book a success.
The illustration is expected to sell for £70,000-100,000 ($113,000-161,000). The record for a Shepard Pooh illustration stands at $194,000, set in 2011. Find out more about the potential of EH Shepard's work at auction with our free EH Shepard investment report.
Interested in buying? Paul Fraser Collectibles has a brilliant signed sketch of Winnie the Pooh currently available. We are also offering a rare opportunity to own one of Shepard's political cartoon's for Punch magazine, which originates from his family's own holding.
