“Queen” icon
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was created as a result: Freddie Mercury’s piano was auctioned off for millions
The grand piano is one of around 1,400 items from Freddie Mercury’s estate that will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s until next Wednesday
© DPA
In addition to the rock classic “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the musician composed many other songs on the baby grand that has now been auctioned off. Other treasures from Mercury’s estate will also go under the hammer.
A piano belonging to the legendary British rock singer Freddie Mercury was auctioned in London on Wednesday for the equivalent of around two million euros.
The Queen frontman, who died in 1991, once composed the rock classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and many other songs on the so-called baby grand piano, a Yamaha G2 Baby Grand. However, the highest bid remained below the original estimate, which was between 2.3 and 3.5 million euros.
Freddie Mercury’s “Mongolian Rhapsody” design is also among the auction offerings
The wing is one of around 1,400 items from Mercury’s estate that will go under the hammer at several auctions by the traditional London auction house Sotheby’s until next Wednesday. In addition to handwritten song lyrics and stage costumes, many works of art, paintings, unusual and classic pieces of furniture and fine crockery that the Queen frontman collected during his lifetime will also be auctioned.
On the very first evening of the auction, a note with Mercury’s handwritten text draft for “Bohemian Rhapsody” was also auctioned off. On paper from a now-defunct airline, Queen’s biggest hit was originally supposed to be called “Mongolian Rhapsody.” However, the word “Mongolian” was crossed out. The highest bidder pays the equivalent of around 1.6 million euros for the design.
In the run-up to the auction, all auction items, which come from Mercury’s private home “Garden Lodge” in the London district of Kensington, were on display at Sotheby’s. According to Sotheby’s, the exhibition “Freddie Mercury – A World Of His Own” attracted around 140,000 visitors.
Sotheby’s auction
Crown, costumes and a very expensive piece of paper: you can auction off these famous things from Freddie Mercury
Mercury had bequeathed the “Garden Lodge” to his former partner and close friend Mary Austin, who is now separating from it. An entrance door to the property scrawled by fans brought in around 480,000 euros on Wednesday, around twenty times as much as expected.
Sources: “Sotheby’s”DPA