(Walt Disney Studios, 1959) Magnificent original panoramic concept painting by Eyvind Earle for Sleeping Beauty, which depicts in intricate detail Briar Rose with berry basket walking on the grounds of her hidden woodcutter’s cottage, a pastoral safe haven for her and the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. From the perspective of an observer emerging from a deep forest, the scene opens vividly with a wide overlook of the princess’s secret surroundings: a large cleft and tree-speckled cliffside, a fertile tract of fruit trees and farmland with purple fencing, and, most impressively, the beautifully realized cottage with thatch roof, high brick chimney, and flowing watermill fed by a bright blue stream. Accomplished in gouache on 23.5 x 9.5 artist's board, signed neatly in the lower right corner in black paint by Earle. Handsomely double-matted and framed to an overall size of 28.75 x 15. In fine condition. As Sleeping Beauty's production designer, Disney artist Eyvind Earle was given a significant amount of freedom in creating the settings and selecting the colors to be used in the film. Earle painted the majority of the backgrounds himself, and his stylistic influence is readily apparent in the final product. A quintessential Earle masterwork from the adored Disney classic.
