(Walt Disney Studios, 1949) Spectacular original concept painting by Mary Blair for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, showing the Headless Horseman on horseback with a long sword in hand, chasing Ichabod Crane through a wooded clearing and into the night. Blair skillfully renders both characters in this dramatic moonlit scene, which features the Headless Horseman most prominently at center, his dark black, red-eyed horse aggressively rearing back. Accomplished in tempera on 10.5 x 9 artist's board. In fine condition, with tack holes to corners and a few small edge tears.
Blair was a concept artist for Disney during the 1940s and early 1950s, working on designs for such films as Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland. She also created designs for several Disney attractions (including It's a Small World), and her largest work ever, the multi-story mosaic in Disney World's Contemporary Hotel concourse.
