Lot 74: Ray Harryhausen (American, b.1920-d.2013): A preliminary sketch for Jason and the Argonauts, circa 1961,

Ray Harryhausen (American, b.1920-d.2013): A preliminary sketch for Jason and the Argonauts,
circa 1961,graphite on paper, showing Jason with sword drawn, surrounded by corpses rising from the ground, framed and glazed, image 12 1/4in x 18 1/2in (31cm x 47cm)

This early preliminary sketch shows Harryhausen's initial design for the fight scene between Jason and the skeletons. Following Jason's defeat of the hydra, Aeetes scatters the teeth of the hydra, calling for dark forces for avengement. From the ground skeletons rise, as the children of the hydra's teeth. Harryhausen's original design was to use rotting corpses rising from the grave, although these were later replaced with skeletons.Literature: Harryhausen, Ray and Dalton, Tony, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, (Aurum Press Ltd.), 2003, p.168-169.