Connecticut auction to sell Warhol drawing of Queen Elizabeth

A drawing by Andy Warhol of Queen Elizabeth II — found under a pile of frames and artworks at a California estate sale in 2013 — will be sold on Dec. 31 at an auction in Southington, the auction house announced.

The profile of the queen’s head, in red crayon on brown craft paper, probably dates from the 1970s or 1980s, according to Nest Egg Auctions, which will sell the piece. The artwork has been verified by the Andy Warhol Estate.

Nest Egg Auctioneer Ryan Brechlin said the piece’s consigner stumbled upon the piece. “It was an in-person estate sale, not an auction, a sign on the street sale,” Brechlin said. “The people running it didn’t notice they had an original Andy Warhol of Queen Elizabeth. She asked ‘how much?’ They said $100.” She paid it and left.”

The current bid for the queen image is $5,000. Nest Egg estimates it will sell for $10,000 to $20,000.

Matthew J. Blanchard, a cataloger specializing in fine art and rare books at Nest Egg, said up to a dozen drawings by the pop art legend appear in auctions each year. “The interesting thing about this one is that is wasn’t known. It just kind of appeared,” Blanchard said.

The auction house describes the piece as an adaptation of photographer John Hedgecoe’s 1966 portrait of the queen, which was later used on U.K. postage stamps. She is depicted wearing the George IV State Diadem and large pearl earrings.

Warhol depicted the queen, more famously, in a 1985 serigraph, “Reigning Queens.” That artwork shows the queen alongside Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland. Those images of the queen were based on a photo taken in 1977.

“Unlike one of his serigraphs, however, this is a one-of-a-kind item,” Brechlin said.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 after 70 years and 214 days on the British throne. Her reign was the longest of any British monarch as well as being the longest verified reign of any female monarch in any country.

Bidding is open now for all items in the New Year’s Eve auction. Other interesting items up for bid are a pair of candlesticks from a design by Salvador Dali, a World War II-era Free French flag, a sweater once owned by Marilyn Monroe, an etching of Greta Garbo by Al Hirschfeld, an album of Confederate paper money and several paintings of Meriden by Frederick Matzow.

The auction will take place at Nest Egg Auctions, 8 Metals Drive in the Plantsville section of Southington, on Dec. 31 starting at 11 a.m. To register, visit nesteggauctions.com.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.