UDERZO Albert (1927-2020) - Lot 199

UDERZO Albert (1927-2020) Asterix - The laurels of Caesar India ink on paper for plate 43 from the album Signed and dedicated at bottom Dargaud, 1972 53 x 43 cm The eighteenth album in the Asterix series, this adventure is considered one of the high points of the series. It was published in the weekly magazine "Pilote" from n°621 to 642 (September 30, 1971 to February 24, 1972, the date of publication of our plate). Following a more or less drunken bet, Asterix and his companions find themselves in Rome to steal Caesar's laurel wreath for culinary purposes. Here we find all the verve and irony of the great scriptwriter René Goscinny. Together, plates 43A and 43B form a set of 8 vignettes, including a large panel featuring the main heroes of the adventure. The only missing element is Idéfix, who is not part of the trip to Rome and only appears in the last panel of the album. The three panels featuring Caesar's laurels bring the scenario to a close, with the fifth panel echoing the album cover. Julius Caesar's campaign against the pirates and their appearance during his triumph in the seventh panel is inspired by a historical incident. As a young man, Caesar was taken hostage by pirates. Once freed for ransom, he had them captured and executed, as promised when he was their prisoner (Suetonius, Life of the XII Caesars). The final vignette brings the story to a close, combining Goscinny's humorous texts with Albert Uderzo's magnificent drawings.