Bidding for this lot will end on Sunday, December 7th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT (7:00AM PST) and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, December 5th or Saturday, December 6th.
An extraordinary original production cel setup featuring the Pro-Counsel, one of Gerald Scarfe's most iconic creations for Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982). This powerful image, depicting the Pro-Counsel glaring into his own reflection, is a rare two-layer cel setup, capturing both his body and mirrored visage as separate hand-painted elements, a brilliant piece of Scarfe's psychological and visual design.
Appearing in The Trial, the film's climactic animated sequence, the Pro-Counsel embodies self-righteous authority, grotesque in form yet disturbingly human in expression. Scarfe's visual language transforms bureaucratic cruelty into physical exaggeration; the figure's swollen face, clenched hands, and hunched posture suggest both moral rot and barely contained violence. Here, staring into the mirror, he represents the duplicity of power: a figure so consumed by judgment that he becomes his own accuser.
In The Wall, the Pro-Counsel serves as the presiding voice of condemnation during Pink's mental unravelling. His role, part judge, part prosecutor, reflects society's appetite for humiliation and spectacle. Scarfe's animation gives the character the weight of Kafka and the mania of theatre, synchronising perfectly with Roger Waters' lyrics and Bob Geldof's fractured performance. The mirror scene is a moment of grotesque introspection, the monster facing itself before passing judgment on another.
Only around twelve minutes of animation were produced for the film, yet The Trial remains one of the most ambitious animated sequences ever made for live-action cinema. Each cel was hand-painted and photographed in London under Scarfe's direction, then curated for the official Pink Floyd: The Wall collector's programme, complete with embossed seal and certificate signed by Gerald Scarfe and Roger Waters.
A haunting, multilayered work of art from Scarfe's magnum opus, a moment where character design, psychology, and social commentary merge in perfect, unsettling balance. Dimensions: 43.25 cm x 38.25 cm x 1.5 cm (17" x 15" x 0.5")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £500 - 1,000 US
View all lots from PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (1982)