Will - Lot 47

Will WILL ISABELLE Un empire de dix arpents (T.5), Dupuis 1980 Original illustration created in 1996, based on the first panel of plate no. 17, also used for a poster. Signed. India ink, watercolor, gouache, colored pencil and graphite on paper 42.6 × 38 cm (16.77 × 14.96 in.) Published in Spirou in 1978, Un empire de dix arpents remains one of the highlights of the Isabelle series. The title itself is intriguing: it refers to a gigantic fragment of Caucasian land, magically detached from its base and transformed into a floating kingdom, invisible in its mantle of wind and snow. Its levitation relies on the power of a diamond, the beating heart of this aerial world, reminiscent of Miyazaki's famous Castle in the Sky. Set against a snowy backdrop, it's a tale of Czarist Russia, Cossacks and, of course, Calendula and Hermes on their quest to find Isabelle, the owner of the famous diamond, encountering a gallery of wacky, delightful characters, such as the marvellous flying madman with his funny machine!