1950's John Lennon ink sketch of the Third Reich Nuremberg eagle
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Offered here is a rare ink sketch by John Lennon which originates from his Art School days in the late 1950's. It is believed to be from the period 1956 to 1958. John sketched the Third Reich Nuremberg eagle, with, instead of the swastika in the circular cartouche, the initials of 'J.A.L.' for John 'Adolf' Lennon. The letters are a devious twist on John's birth initials of J.W.L. (John Winston Lennon). He was known to dislike his middle name of 'Winston' as he regarded Winston Churchill as a prime example of the stultifying British establishment that he hated, and had struggled against, so much and for so long. The page was originally part of John's ring-binder sketch book and formerly the property of Cynthia Lennon. The previous owned purchased it - along with several other Lennon items - directly from Cynthia in 1991. They met at the exhibition of the Cynthia Lennon Collection held at Christie's London saleroom that summer, where Cynthia signed a copy of the catalogue (see final photo) for her - this is not included with the sale of this sketch as we are selling it with one of the other Lennon drawings. We will however include scans of the catalogue to help with the provenance. The Christie's auction featured several other Lennon sketches. Coincidentally this sketch, along with three others we acquired, weren't accepted into the Christie's sale due to their policy of refusing Nazi-related material. Due to illness and the associated medical costs the owner recently decided to sell the drawings via auction here in the UK. We acquired them directly from the auction and are now offering these unique pieces to the general public.
The sketch is accompanied by an auction house LOA, a handwritten note from the previous owner and a typed manuscript explaining exactly how she met Cynthia and agreed to buy the items from her. Please make sure to read the transcript in it's entirety, it's a fascinating read! This is an extremely desirable piece as it emanates from so early in John's life and gives a wonderful insight into the politically incorrect mind that he would later become famous for. The page itself measures 30 x 21 cm. It's in very good condition with creases across three of the corners. Some minor ink smudging can be found towards the top of the sketch. There is light age toning to the paper.
The sketch is accompanied by an auction house LOA, a handwritten note from the previous owner and a typed manuscript explaining exactly how she met Cynthia and agreed to buy the items from her. Please make sure to read the transcript in it's entirety, it's a fascinating read! This is an extremely desirable piece as it emanates from so early in John's life and gives a wonderful insight into the politically incorrect mind that he would later become famous for. The page itself measures 30 x 21 cm. It's in very good condition with creases across three of the corners. Some minor ink smudging can be found towards the top of the sketch. There is light age toning to the paper.
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