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L. B. Cole - Classics Illustrated #30 "The Moonst

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Comics Start Price:2,400.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 4,500.00 USD
L. B. Cole - Classics Illustrated #30  The Moonst
<B>L. B. Cole - Classics Illustrated #30 "The Moonstone" Painted Cover Original Art (Gilberton, 1960).</B></I> L.B. Cole was a traveler in the exotic -- his wild, poster-like scenes for the Star Publishing comics line are celebrated by comics fans for their unorthodox designs and fantastic hues. In 1959, Cole worked for Gilberton as an editor just before heading over to Dell Comics to take a position as their art director in 1961. Cole reworked the original Don Rico cover design for Wilkie Collins' novel, <B>The Moonstone</B></I>, and his realistic rendering captures a ritual of worship in progress. For Wilkie Collins, the Moonstone was a symbol of all that humanity strives for, material and spiritual. The history of the Moonstone is a history of thefts -- to its temporary European possessors, the Moonstone was a bauble and a commodity, but to its faithful guardians, the Brahmins, it is a sacred artifact beyond price. The novel opens in India with John Herncastle's theft of the gem in battle, and ends with Mr. Murthwaite's account of the restoration of the gleaming yellow diamond to the forehead of the Hindu deity of the Moon eight centuries later. The painting has an image area of 14" x 20.5" and the art is in Excellent condition. L. B.Cole signed the painting at the lower right.