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A set of three pages of hand-drawn set design artwork from the production of William Wyler's Ben-Hur. Lavish sets were built and decorated to recreate the ancient architecture of ancient Rome, Jerusalem, and more. The production utilized 300 sets over 148 acres and nine soundstages.
A true epic of cinema, Ben-Hur had the largest budget and the largest sets ever built at the time of its production. It employed hundreds of artists in the creation of its sets and costumes, utilized thousands of real horses, and cast more than 10,000 extras. The nine-minute chariot race is considered one of cinema's greatest action sequences. The highest-grossing film of 1959, Ben-Hur was the second highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release, second only to Gone with the Wind. Ben-Hur went on to win a record 11 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Charlton Heston's performance, and Best Art Direction - Set Decoration - Color.
This lot consists of three pages: one page numbered "Sheet 8 of 13" depicting the set of the "Ext. Governor's Palace and Street" with an illegible artist name and the work date "12-6-57," one page depicting front and side views of a wreath decoration with the artist name "W. Ko[illegible]" and no date, and one page depicting multiple views of an eagle decoration drawn by an artist named "Braunger" and dated "19 Sept 57." All of the sheets include "MGM Art Department" printed on them, the title of the film, and reference Edward Carfagno as the unit art director. The lot shows evidence of wear consistent with on-set use, handling, and age; including some smuding and creasing. Dimensions: (largest, unfolded) 70" x 42" (178 cm x 106.75 cm)
Sold without copyright; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.
Estimate: $2,000 - 4,000
View all lots from BEN-HUR (1959)
This item comes with a Propstore Certificate of Authenticity.