A new record for EH Shepard at Sotheby's

Michael Winner sale makes £1.1 million and new record for EH Shepard at Sotheby's

E.H. Shepherd's "Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin." Photo: Sotheby's. LONDON.- This afternoon’s sale, The Art of Illustration, the Collection of Michael Winner, the finest single-owner collection of original book illustrations ever offered at auction, realised a total of 1,127,296. The top lot of the sale was E H Shepard’s original ink drawing Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump… which realised £139,250. It is the first depiction of Winnie-the-Pooh with Christopher Robin from the first of AA Milne’s story books. The work was offered alongside illustrations from Beatrix Potter, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen and Arthur Rackham. The renowned film director, who built up his collection over more than 30 years recalled: “It was many years ago that I went into an old bookshop in the Charing Cross Road; there I saw two paintings by Arthur Rackham which I found utterly memorable. They had a quality which was unique. From then on I ... More