The original artwork used on the cover of a ‘90s Warhammer 40k supplement has sold via eBay for $65,117 (£50,200). The piece is a nostalgic classic that many adult 40k players will recognise, Geoff Taylor’s iconic cover art for the second edition Codex Eldar from 1994.
According to the sales post for the artwork, the seller Jamie (no surname given) acquired it in “2016 when I bought it from Geoff directly via his site”. They risked listing this piece of Warhammer 40k history with no reserve and a minimum bid of $1.28 (£0.99), but we’re not surprised that an active collector’s market has shown its hand and driven the price so high.
Geoff Taylor is a traditional artist who has produced cover art and illustrations for the fantasy and science-fiction publishing industry. He worked extensively with Games Workshop in the 1990s and ‘00s, producing a frankly astonishing number of iconic Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy artworks.
Taylor’s website lists much of his creative work, and has contact details if you want to inquire about purchasing an original piece from him. However none of his Games Workshop originals are currently on sale.
Taylor produced covers art for many Warhammer fantasy army books and Warhammer 40k Codexes throughout the ’90s, including the first Eldar, Blood Angels, and Space Wolves Codexes. He produced the box art for Warhammer Fantasy Battle 4th edition, the original version of Necromunda, and Mordheim, to name a very, very few.
Taylor’s work for Games Workshop was exceptionally vibrant and colorful, combining heroic central figures with tremendously detailed backgrounds that dissolve into frenetic battle. The sales post includes close-ups of the artwork that reveal just how fine the brushwork is.
At a time when color artwork was very limited in GW’s products, Taylor and his work did a huge amount to define the popular image of Space Marines, Eldar, and countless other Warhammer 40k factions in the minds of fans.
If you’re fired up by this classic art, and already enjoy painting miniatures, why not try 2D painting on artboard? From personal experience, and to my great surprise, I found that my skills worked remarkably well on a flat canvas. Check out our guide to the best miniature paintbrushes: the top entries are functionally identical to fine art brushes.
Source: Wargamer
