Musicians’ muse auctions love letters from Eric Clapton, George Harrison

LONDON (AP):

Love letters to Pattie Boyd from both George Harrison and Eric Clapton are going up for sale at Christie’s auction house, alongside clothing, jewellery and other memorabilia from the renowned model and musicians’ muse.

Boyd, who was previously married both to Beatle Harrison and to guitar legend Clapton, is selling a trove of items from her time at the epicentre of the 1960s and ‘70s counterculture, Christie’s announced on Monday.

For Boyd, Harrison wrote Something, one of the Fab Four’s most-covered tunes. Clapton’s passion for his friend’s wife inspired the scorching Layla. Later, when Boyd had left Harrison and married Clapton, he serenaded her with Wonderful Tonight.

The auction includes two love letters from Clapton, written while Boyd was married to Harrison, and the original cover artwork for Derek and The Dominos’ 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, a painting of a blonde model who reminded Clapton of Boyd. It’s estimated to sell for between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds ($51,000 and $76,000).

There are also letters and notes from Harrison, and his handwritten lyrics for the song Mystical One, which have an estimated price of 30,000 to 50,000 pounds ($38,000 to $63,000).

Christie’s head of sale Adrian Hume-Sayer said Boyd’s life and career “chart some of the key moments of the cultural revolution that changed the world in the 1960s”, and the auction offered collectors and fans “an unparalleled chance to see and own a piece of cultural history”.

The more than 100 lots include photos taken by Boyd, who became an accomplished photographer, among them images of The Beatles’ 1968 stay at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in India.

“I’m happy to let go of these things which I have treasured and loved for so many years,” said Boyd, 79. “These items represent special moments in my life, but now I think it’s time to move on and share what I have with others.”

The items are open for online bidding between March 8 and 22, and will be on display at Christie’s London headquarters from March 15 to 21.