Select Items Holiday 2022 - 12 - Unique Christmas Ornaments With Moishe The Wild Thing And The Nutcracker Hand-Drawn On Them By Maurice Sendak 8. SENDAK, Maurice. Christmas ornament [“Moishe the Wild Thing” and “The Nutcracker”]. No place, circa 1978. Two round, white Christmas ornaments, each measuring approximately 2-1/2 inches in diameter, hand-decorated in black, yellow and red marker. $35,000. A wonderful and unique item: a pair of white Christmas ornaments, one with a drawing of Moishe Wild Thing on it and the other with the Nutcracker on it, executed in red, black and yellow markers by Maurice Sendak for a neighbor and close friend. According to the original owner, a neighbor and close friend of Sendak, Sendak decorated these items for him around 1978. Sendak chose to cover the entire surface of the balls in marker, one with an image of Moishe the Wild Thing from his classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are and the other with the Nutcracker from Sendak’s eponymous book and, later, opera. Sendak’s version of the Nutcracker was based on Mozart, with whom Sendak had a lifetime preoccupation. Sendak bought a home and studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut in 1972 with his longtime partner, Eugene Glynn, and lived there until his death. The owner of these ornaments first encountered Sendak in 1975 during one of his daily dog walks. He was immediately taken with Sendak, who reminded him of his recently deceased father. One day, he called Sendak at home and asked if he could join him on his walks. The two embarked on a 37-year friendship that also included the original owner’s mother, Betty, as well as his brother. Sendak went on long walks and hikes with him and his family regularly, discussing general life events, opera, and books. He also invited them into his studio to show off works in progress. Betty, the mother, was an avid reader and collector and she and Sendak would talk late into the night about books. Sendak offered Betty advice about how to find and authenticate rare children’s books, which she used to build her collection. Additionally, Sendak frequently bartered for autographs (i.e. a cake for an inscribed drawing). The many inscribed drawings, along with first editions, signed books, limited edition books, and other valuable items grew into one of the country’s premier Sendak collections. Fine condition. Wonderful and unique.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=