On July 30th, 2020, the original painting for Lightning Greaves by Mark Zug from the new Magic: The Gathering Double Masters set was sold via auction on the MTG Art Market for $8,000.
Lightning Greaves by Mark Zug, oils on paper, 11.5” x 15.5”
Lightning Greaves by Mark Zug is a work of oils on paper measuring 11.5 inches by 15.5 inches. It was commissioned for Magic’s newest Masters set, Double Masters, as an extended art Box Topper variant. It is one of four new works by Zug for the set, and the only to be auctioned. The rest were sold privately to the highest offer shortly after their preview.
The auction was run on the MTG Art Market by Phil Li acting as agent for the artist. Li has recently begun working with several artists to market and auction their work, and Zug was first among them, a relationship that began in early 2019.
The auction began at $3,000, moved quickly to $5,000, and then to $7,500 with a few bids placed in between. A half dozen more bids in the closing minutes would push this piece to $8,000, where it was hammered sold to a collector bidding by private message.
As of the writing of this article, the associated pencil sketch had not been sold and was still available from the artist.
Lightning Greaves (Sketch) by Mar Zug, graphite on paper
Mark Zug has illustrated 175 cards for Magic as of the writing of this article, and is one of the most prolific artists in the history of the game. He is nothing short of a master in his field, and his four commissions here exemplify his skill in the field and commitment to illustrating Magic.
