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HEADS OF THE HOUSE-ELVES OF NUMBER TWELVE GRIMMAULD PLACE
Preliminary Study for Chapter 4, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2002)
Mary GrandPré (American, b. 1954)
Pencil on parchment tracing paper
Signed lower right: Mary GrandPré
11 cm x 16 cm
£2,750 (excl. VAT)
Original preliminary pencil sketch on paper created by Mary GrandPré in 2002 as she prepared the title artwork for Chapter 4 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, titled Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. This chilling early composition depicts one of the darkest details within the Black family home: a macabre row of mounted house-elf heads nailed to a wooden plaque—among them, the head of Kreacher’s mother.
When Harry first arrives at number twelve, he is introduced to the ancestral home of Sirius Black’s family. The interior reflects the cruelty and obsession with blood purity that defined Sirius’s mother, whose twisted sense of pride included preserving the severed heads of deceased house-elves as grotesque trophies. Kreacher, the Black family’s last remaining house-elf, speaks of them reverently, hoping one day to join the display himself.
Mary GrandPré’s sketch focuses on the grim solemnity of this moment, anchoring the reader’s attention on a disturbing symbol of blind loyalty and generational cruelty—a theme that recurs throughout the book.
Condition & Provenance
Excellent condition. Minor surface wear and light wrinkling are present, consistent with the artist’s process. The work has been professionally preserved since its creation in 2002. Mounted on museum-quality board with conservation-grade mats and coverings.
Catalogue Reference: Houston & GrandPré D(1)