Egyptian Queen by Frazetta Art Museum

The Egyptian Queen, painted in 1969, is one of the most legendary paintings by Frank Frazetta and often referred to as his Mona Lisa. The painting also holds significant value to Frank because the figure in the painting is based on Frank’s wife, Ellie, when she was pregnant with her third child. The queen’s features are accentuated by the use of lighting and the vivid colors in the dress juxtaposed with the earthy tones in the foreground and background. The work first appeared in print on the cover for Eerie Magazine #23 in 1969, and was later featured on the cover of Creepy Magazine #92 in 1977. It is said that George Lucas used the painting of Egyptian Queen as his inspiration for the costume design for Princess Leia for Star Wars.

On May 16, 2019, Egyptian Queen was auctioned through Heritage Auctions in Chicago, Illinois, and sold for $5.4 million, holding the world record as the most expensive piece of original comic book art ever sold at public auction. The previous record was the $1.79 million paid for Frazetta's Death Dealer 6, 1990, which was set by Heritage in May 2018.