One of the most exciting things about original Magic art is that you never know what, when, or where something exciting is going to turn up or be made public.
The most iconic card in all of Magic, the Black Lotus, has pencil sketches.
Over the last two weeks, the original rough and preliminary sketches for this legendary work by Christopher Rush became public, and have been made available for sale.
On October 23rd, 2019, Vorthos Mike of CoolStuffInc wrote an article entitled the “The Sketches of Black Lotus,” announcing the public surfacing and availability of these historic pieces of Magic artwork. In doing so, these sketches that might have otherwise passed between collectors behind closed door, can be seen and discussed by the community.
Before I say more, let’s take a look:
Black Lotus (Rough Sketch) by Christoper Rush, Graphite on Paper
Black Lotus (Prelim Sketch) by Christoper Rush, Graphite on Paper
Black Lotus (Recreation, 2014) by Christoper Rush, oil on canvasboard, 6” x 8”
Black Lotus (Recreation, 2014) by Christoper Rush, oil on canvasboard, backside.
A Facebook post in the MTG Art Market by Vorthos Mike provides even more insight. Not only did the original Magic Art Director Jesper Myrfors and Rush’s ex-wife confirm their validity, but the current owner revealed themselves within the comments.
One week later, the owner created his own post officially advertising the availability and sale of the sketches. They are seeking offers in excess of $500,000 for the three pieces, with a guaranteed sale if an offer is received exceeding $1,000,000. As a promise and condition of sale, the current owner will be giving 10% of the sale price to each of Rush’s two daughters, as well as a percentage to both of his ex-wives.
This is real deal, folks. It’s not everyday you get to witness Magic: The Gathering history, but today is one of those days.
For more information on the Black Lotus and its importance to the game of Magic, check out this Rhystic Studies deep-dive video on the card.
This article or a follow-up article will be updated with more information as the sale progresses or it becomes available.
