Blackadder's Christmas Carol

An original portrait used in the 1988 production of Blackadder's Christmas Carol, a one off episode of the popular BBC series which parodies Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

This portrait was can be seen on screen as Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) prepares to present Queenie with it for Christmas however when she abolishes the festival and threatens to kill anyone with presents he becomes annoyed and ends up punching the painting and the unfortunate Baldrick (Tony Robinson) who is standing behind holding it.

The portrait is constructed around a wooden frame with affixed canvas with the portrait of Queenie having been printed and glued to the canvas, much of the detail of the portrait has then been hand painted to add depth and realism to the piece and varnished in order to resemble a real painting. For the scene where Blackadder punches the portrait it would have been pre scored to ensure his hand went through it correctly, evidence of this can still be seen in areas which remain unbroken.

The portrait obviously still exhibits the damage created by Atkinson on set but is otherwise in excellent screen used condition with some minor shrinkage due to age. The portrait measures an incredible 44" high and 34" wide.

This represents an instantly recognisable and highly displayable artefact from this highly regarded comedy series.