Memorabilia from the personal collection of British model Pattie Boyd, who is also dubbed as "one of the greatest muses in rock history," is going under the hammer in a Christie's online sale set for March 8 through March 24.
Announced in the auction house's press release last Monday, Feb. 26, "The Pattie Boyd Collection" will comprise numerous artifacts relating to her former partners George Harrison and Eric Clapton,
"The auction also includes song lyrics, photographs and handmade mementos that offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives of some of music's most influential and iconic figures," wrote Christie's.
Pattie Boyd with her then-husband George Harrison in a photograph that is part of the forthcoming Christie's sale this March.
The 'Pandora's Box' of Pattie Boyd's Romantic Entanglement
During her years as Harrison's wife, Boyd witnessed firsthand Beatlemania's unprecedented craze and the legendary musical act's consequent fallout after countless "adventures" through psychedelia and mysticism.
Boyd herself was even the subject of a couple of Beatles singles that Harrison penned, including I Need You," "For You Blue" and "Something." On the other hand, her admirer at the time, Clapton, dedicated "Layla" to her.
In contrast, Boyd's relationship with Clapton - which he achieved years after fervently courting her - gave her "front-row seats" to the iconic singer-songwriter and guitarist and his eventual descent to addiction.
A letter offered in one of the lots in the upcoming auction is perhaps one of the best representatives of Clapton's impassioned pursuit of Harrison's then-muse, which he secretly sent to Boyd in 1970 amid her marriage with the Beatle.
"I am writing this note to you, with the main purpose of ascertaining your feelings toward a subject well known to both of us," Clapton explained in the letter.
"What I wish to ask you is if you still love your husband, or if you have another lover?" Clapton asked, before continuing: "All these questions are very impertinent I know, but if there is still a feeling in your heart for me... you must let me know!"
In the secret correspondence, the legendary guitarist asked for a reply through letter and not by phone, as "that is much safer," quotes Christie's in its release.
Clapton also signed the letter as "E" for an inexplicable reason, which made Boyd think it was from a "weird fan" even showing it to Harrison.
Of the letter, Boyd said: "It's a very beautifully written letter, but the writing is so small - it takes up not even a third of the page. It's like he was rather shy about writing it. It's like a whisper instead of a talk."
Boyd and the Unfortunate Endings of Her Relationships
Clapton's advances continued to persevere despite Boyd's frank rejections, resulting in another letter that will also be part of the forthcoming sale, which was written on a torn page from a copy of the "Of Mice and Men" novel.
"If you don't want me, please break the spell that binds me," he wrote. "To cage a wild animal is a sin, to tame him is divine."
As per the auction house, up 'til Boyd and Harrison's eventual split in 1974, Clapton and his muse rarely saw each other in person or through written effects.
That said, Boyd finally agreed to marry Clapton around 1979, with her relationship with Harrison remaining on friendly terms, with the Beatle even jokingly referring to the guitarist as his "husband-in-law."
However, Boyd and Clapton's romance similarly ended bitterly in 1987 due to what the press release stated as "substance abuse and infidelities."
Of the objects coming up for auction, Boyd was quoted by Christie's saying: "I thought, 'Do I need them? Do I need to keep going into Pandora's Box?' I've enjoyed them for many, many years, and now it's time for other people to see and enjoy them."
"It's only right I should pass them on," she added.
Several of the lots from "The Pattie Boyd Collection" will also be on display at the auction house's London branch from March 5 to 22.
