Property of a Muse: The Pattie Boyd Collection at Christie’s
The story of Pattie Boyd is woven through the lives of two of rock’s greatest figures, George Harrison and Eric Clapton. When Christie’s London presented the Pattie Boyd Collection in March 2024, it offered collectors the chance to own a piece of history — and gave the public a rare opportunity to see up close the belongings of the muse who inspired Something, Layla, and Wonderful Tonight.
Pattie Boyd – The Muse
A successful model in her own right, Boyd met Harrison while filming A Hard Day’s Night. They married in 1966, and she became the inspiration for Something on Abbey Road, one of the Beatles’ greatest love songs.
Through George, she met Clapton, whose infatuation became legendary. His passion crystallised on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) by Derek and the Dominos, while later, when the pair were together, he wrote Wonderful Tonight.
For collectors, Christie’s auction presented a chance to secure the very letters and artefacts behind these songs. For visitors to the free viewing, it was simply extraordinary to stand in front of the objects that had inspired rock history.
Pattie’s Auction Lots on Display
The auction lots ranged from couture and concert ephemera to candid photographs and deeply personal letters.
Fashion pieces — tiny couture dresses from Boyd’s modelling career.
Just one of the dresses Pattie modelled
Photographs — informal polaroids of the Beatles in India (1968), George in the snow at Friar Park, and Clapton caught mid-tour in a US hotel.
Boyd’s photography — including her striking shot of Clapton silhouetted at Blackbushe Aerodrome (1978).
Trinkets and keepsakes — a silver Apple Corps Zippo, incense sticks from a Ravi Shankar limited-edition autobiography, and Clapton tour badges. Among them, two red guitar picks Clapton used at Live Aid (1985) — small objects, yet tied to one of rock’s biggest stages.
Live Aid Guitar Picks - E.C. Was There
Tour badges and patches including The Last Waltz, with the Band
For bidders, these lots offered provenance and value. For visitors, they delivered intimacy and nostalgia.
Letters, Layla and Love Songs
The handwritten letters between Clapton and Boyd were among the most affecting lots.
One, written on a page torn from Of Mice and Men, reads: “I would sacrifice my family, my god and my own existence and still you will not move.” Another, addressed to “Dearest L…”, pleads for her affection. A telegram followed bluntly: “Does your silence mean begone?”
Dear Layla…
To collectors, these were prized artefacts. To fans at the viewing, they were a direct line to the emotions that fuelled Layla.
La Jeune Fille au Bouquet – The Layla Album Cover Painting
The centrepiece was the original artwork for Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Painted by Émile Théodore Frandsen de Schomberg, the portrait (La Jeune Fille au Bouquet) became inseparable from Clapton’s anguished masterpiece.
This is how close you could get at the viewing!
To bidders, it was the ultimate prize: an iconic album cover with flawless provenance. To the public, it was a thrill to see the small canvas that had stared back from record sleeves for over fifty years.
Pattie Boyd Collection at Christie’s London — March 2024 Auction Results (Hammer Prices)
The auction totalled £2,818,184, far exceeding expectations. The Layla artwork led the way, realising £1,976,000 against a high estimate of £60,000. Clapton’s letters also surpassed estimates: his “Of Mice and Men” note sold for £119,700, and the “Dearest L…” letter achieved £107,100.
Top Lots by Value
Lot 34 – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs album cover artwork (Émile Théodore Frandsen de Schomberg) — £1,976,000
Lot 36 – Eric Clapton, handwritten letter (“Of Mice and Men”) — £119,700
Lot 33 – Eric Clapton, handwritten letter to “Dearest L…” — £107,100
Lot 22 – The Beatles in India, collection of vintage photographs (1968) — £52,920
Lot 25 – George Harrison, handwritten lyrics for Mystical One (1982) — £47,880
Lot 14 – John Lennon, George Harrison & Pattie Boyd, collaborative drawing (Kinfauns, 1969) — £32,760
Lot 91 – Eric Clapton & Pattie Boyd, Rolex ladies stainless steel and gold wristwatch (gifted 1981) — £21,420
Lot 70 – Eric Clapton at Blackbushe Aerodrome, 1978 (photograph by Boyd) — £20,160
Lot 90 – Eric Clapton, handwritten letter (1982) — £17,640
Lot 9 – George Harrison, handwritten letter (1971) — £17,640
These results underline how both the deeply personal items (letters, lyrics, gifts) and the broader cultural artefacts (album art, Beatles photographs) resonated strongly with collectors.
Christie’s and Rock Memorabilia
The Pattie Boyd Collection stands alongside other landmark Christie’s sales: David Gilmour’s Black Strat, Charlie Watts’ library, Mark Knopfler’s guitars, Jeff Beck’s guitars and Elton John’s Farewell to Peachtree Road.
For collectors, these sales are a chance to acquire world-famous artefacts. For the rest of us, they offer something equally valuable: the chance to stand inches from the objects that shaped the soundtrack of our lives.
The booming market for rock memorabilia
This auction underlined the strength of demand for items tied to the music that has soundtracked our lives for decades. Each new generation rediscovers the albums and stories, and with them comes the desire to own a fragment of that history — whether it’s a guitar pick from Live Aid or the letters Eric Clapton wrote to Pattie Boyd. These objects matter, and they are worth collecting.
For those not bidding, the free public viewings offered something equally powerful: the chance to stand close to history (and maybe get a selfie!)
What do you do when you get lonely?