CRISSE ◊ - Lot 76

CRISSE ◊ THE CRYSTAL SWORD Le Parfum des Grinches (T.1), Vents d'Ouest 1989 Original plate no. 1. India ink on paper 36.4 × 50.5 cm (14.33 × 19.88 in.) Didier Crisse has been one of the leading names in heroic fantasy since the late 1980s, with all the codes that go with it: luscious heroine with a big sword, the Amazon Zoya (in Crisse's case, it's humorous Frazetta!), a pinch of esotericism (after the death of the Aneith, the heroine must find the masters of the five senses to reconstitute the pentacle) and a Darth Vader-style villain, seen here in his castle. This is the first plate in this cult series. We're blown away by the precision and elegance of his line, particularly in the drawing of the drapery and the panther.