On July 28, 2019, the painting for Throne of Eldraine’s “Island” by Lucas Graciano was sold via private offer on the MTG Art Market for $7,200, with the final and winning offer disclosed by his agent upon the conclusion of the sale. It was the first original painting from Magic’s much-anticipated Fall set to be sold.
“Island” by Lucas Graciano, oil on Masonite, 18” x 24”
“Island” by Lucas Graciano is a work of oil on Masonite measuring an impressive 18 inches by 24 inches and is expected that this painting is to be a Basic Island as a part of the new Throne of Eldraine expansion releasing in October 2019. Throne of Eldraine is set to be a mix of “Camelot meets Grimm’s Fairy Tales” and has already created quite a buzz among Magic players, fans, and members of the original art collecting community.
The work was made available following the official Throne of Eldraine preview at San Diego Comic Con, where more than two dozen new pieces of art from the upcoming set were revealed live in-person at the convention, as well as on Twitter. It was posted to the MTG Art Market by Heiko Schmidt a few days later, who was accepting offers on the artist’s behalf. Offers were placed from July 24 to July 28, after which the painting was marked as sold for the amount of $7,200.
This was the first time Schmidt, of TokyoMTG, functioned as agent for Graciano, and based on what seems to be a resounding success for all parties, I would expect to see the relationship continue in the future.
About the Artist
Lucas Graciano has illustrated 94 cards for Magic as of the writing of this article, including exactly one other basic land, an Island for Hour of Devastation. His illustrations are often very figure-centric, whether human, creature, or a mix of both, so having him create another dynamic landscape for the game is quite exciting.