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STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) - Hand-Painted Ralph McQuarrie "Vader and the Emperor" Matte Painting Prelim with Annotated Reference Photo

Artist: Ralph McQuarrie (Penciller)

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STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) - Hand-Painted Ralph McQuarrie Vader and the Emperor Matte Painting Prelim with Annotated Reference Photo Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) - Hand-Painted Ralph McQuarrie "Vader and the Emperor" Matte Painting Prelim with Annotated Reference Photo
Artist:	Ralph McQuarrie (Penciller)
Media Type:	Mixed Media
Art Type:	Other
For Sale Status:	For Auction At Propstore.com
Views:	201
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	8/14/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

A prelim for a matte painting of Darth Vader (David Prowse) and Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) hand-painted by design consultant and conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie for the production Irvin Kershner's Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, as well as a reference photograph for the same scene annotated by McQuarrie. The final "Vader and the Emperor" matte created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) matte artist Harrison Ellenshaw appeared in Vader's communication chamber when Palpatine warned him of the growing threat from Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

McQuarrie is widely considered one of the seminal Star Wars artists, having designed the look of Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, and countless other elements of the original film. McQuarrie was one of Lucas' first collaborators on Star Wars and created numerous concept sketches and production paintings that were used to convey Lucas' vision to those working on the film, and were later used to market it. McQuarrie's paintings were published in portfolios well-known to Star Wars collectors.

This lot consists of two matching, printed black-and-white photographs of the "Vader and the Emperor" scene: one with its ceiling painted in by McQuarrie and labeled for shot "VE-1," and one unpainted and annotated "VE-1 - Ceiling Ok (Maybe shot can be used that does not require matte)." The latter also appeared on page 114 of the Abrams publication Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie. Both pieces exhibit pin holes, tape residue, and markings on their backs. Dimensions: (each) 10" x 8" (25.5 cm x 20.5 cm)

View online here: https://propstoreauction.com/lot-details/index/catalog/456/lot/172171

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