Goldfinger artwork. An original full-colour proof of the front cover illustration for the 1959 novel

Jonathan Cape, 1959]. Artwork measuring 406 x 508 mm. Matted within mountboard measuring 571 x 660 mm. In fine condition. Richard Chopping's personal, signed copy of the final proof sheet artwork, being the glorious full-sized image taken from the original painting, before the spine lettering and publisher's imprint were added (although the spine panel is still illustrated here). The image was then scaled down to produce the dust jackets. This item was originally sold in the 1980s by Richard Chopping himself. Richard Wasey Chopping (1917-2008) was a British illustrator and author, painting in the trompe l'oeil style to create a realistic and almost three-dimensional appearance. Among his illustrations are nine iconic covers for the James Bond books by Ian Fleming, published between 1957 and 1966, and the cover of John Gardner's first Bond continuation novel, Licence Renewed (1981). Chopping was born in Colchester, Essex and educated at Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk. He lived in the historic village of Wivenhoe for over sixty years, founding an artist community which counted Francis Bacon as a member. The artwork for Goldfinger is one of the most famous of the series, and comprised a skull, with gold coins set in the eye sockets, with a rose between the teeth (flowers being a running theme that were used in four of Chopping's James Bond covers, with roses being chosen twice). From the significant Ian Fleming collection of Martin Schøyen (b.1940), whose private collection of manuscripts, which span all cultures and all time periods, is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. The Schøyen Collection No. 64. Gilbert p.637.