Last month, Sotheby’s London issued something of a royal decree. THE auction house advertised he would sell the Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury’s unpublished personal collection – 1,500 items ranging from art to furniture to jewelry (like a “little silver Tiffany & Co. mustache comb”) that have been perfectly preserved in the icon’s beloved London home since his death over 30 years ago.
Reflecting his eclectic tastes, prized lots range from his red velvet crown with matching cape and his 1975 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar to works of art including prints by Matisse and Picasso and a painting by James Jacques Tissot (the last work he purchased), as well as Japanese prints and kimonos, Art Nouveau lamps, a Fabergé clock and an Erté watercolor donated by Sir Elton John.
Some of these contents of his Kensington home – a Georgian-style brick villa he called Garden Lodge – began a traveling exhibition, starting at Sotheby’s New York before traveling to Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and finally , London. At its final stop, the items will join the rest of the collection on the auction block during the six-part sale, Freddie Mercury: a world of his ownSeptember 6-11.
Bodysuit and jacket, designed and made by Wendy de Smet for “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen” music video, 1975. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Highlights of the tour include the winged costume Mercury wore in the music video for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, estimated at £50,000-70,000 ($62,200-87,000) at Sotheby’s in September. Considered the first of its kind, the video saw Mercury ask his friend and costume designer Wendy de Smet to create an ivory satin bodysuit and bolero with winged wrists and ankles inspired by Mercury, the Roman god, that is- to say. Elsewhere in the video, he wears a black velvet jacket with vertical sequin stripes. This contraption is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000 ($37,300 and $62,200).
Mercury’s handwritten lyrics for “Bohemian Rhapsody” are also directed to the hammer.” (estimate: £800,000 to £1.2 million, or $995,400 to $1.5 million), which he scribbled on 15 pages of defunct British Midland Airways stationery. One of these pages reveals that he intended to call the song “Mongolian Rhapsody”, before crossing out “Mongolian” and replacing it with “Bohemian”.
First red notebook with work lyrics by Freddie Mercury (estimated £120,000-180,000). © Queen Music Ltd – Sony Music Publishing UK Ltd. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Other handwritten lyrics in the collection include “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Somebody to Love” and “We Are the Champions”, all of which were created during a burst of creativity in the mid-1970s. thinks a stained and torn red notebook is Mercury’s first lyric notebook, dating back to when Queen was signed, and even earlier. In addition to Mercury’s own lyrics, the notebook reveals songs by other artists Queen was performing at the time, such as Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock”.” and “Stupid Girl” by the Rolling Stones.” The notebook also contains excerpts from Queen’s future logo.
“Thanks to the emergence of this extraordinary group of ancient manuscript lyrics, we can now fully appreciate his sheer talent as a lyricist,” said Dr Gabriel Heaton, Book and Manuscript Specialist at Sotheby’s. “Early drafts like these are easily lost or discarded, so the rare survival of these manuscripts gives us fascinating insight into how his songs were developed and put together, reminding us of their musical complexity and sophistication… Everything Quite unlike anything released before, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was the band’s biggest venture, which quickly became their biggest hit.
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