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Lot Essay
‘That Harry the Hammer picture is absolutely iconic though – you can almost hear the sound of that hammer impacting on that skele can’t you! I can’t imagine a better start to the whole Warhammer story. Not that we knew it was going to be a story at the time…’ (Rick Priestley, November 2021).
Written by Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley, and Richard Halliwell and released in 1983, the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle was the game that launched a phenomenon in tabletop gaming and the growth of an industry giant: Games Workshop. As the cover artwork for the first ever Warhammer product, Blanche’s ‘Harry the Hammer’ stands as a cornerstone in the history of gaming. It ushered in a gaming revolution, introducing a proprietary miniature system and immersive lore that transformed wargaming from generic historical simulation into a richly creative and narrative-based experience. It built a global hobby culture that fused strategy, storytelling, painting, and world-building, making miniature wargaming both a social and artistic pursuit.
In the Warhammer universe, the character Harry the Hammer was conceived as an archetypal hero and adventurer, a stalwart warrior, symbolizing both the resilience and martial prowess central to the emerging Warhammer narrative. Commissioned by Bryan Ansell, Blanche’s artwork translated this vision into a striking, visceral image, characterized by rugged detail, heavy armour, and a palpable sense of battle-worn perseverance—whilst never official, it is acknowledged that the character of Sigmar was heavily inspired by Harry. Blanche's distinctive style—dark, gritty, and richly textured—brought to life a universe steeped in conflict, heroism, and grim realism, setting a new standard for fantasy illustration. ‘Harry the Hammer’ was subsequently used on 21 box sets of Citadel Miniatures, including Bryan Ansell’s Chaos Marauders.
John Blanche began his association with Games Workshop in 1977 by supplying the cover art for issue 4 of White Dwarf and the colour art for the cover of the British edition of Dungeons & Dragons, for which they held the UK and European licence. A freelance artist at the time ‘Harry the Hammer’ was commissioned, he was known to Bryan Ansell as both lived in Nottingham and he was a keen collector of miniatures, regularly visiting Table Top Games and Asgard Miniatures, Ansell’s first company. By 1986, Ansell had appointed Blanche to the role of art director at Games Workshop, responsible for directing all in-house art and commissioning work from outside illustrators. Outside of Games Workshop, his art commissions included 5 interior illustrations for A Tolkien Bestiary (1979) and the cover and interior illustrations for Steve Jackson’s Fighting Fantasy book Sorcery! (1983-85). He retired from Games Workshop on 31st May 2023.
‘Harry the Hammer’ was acquired directly from the artist by Bryan Ansell. Bryan was a founding partner of Citadel Miniatures alongside Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone, and later became the MD and majority shareholder of Games Workshop before selling his shares in December 1991. ‘Without Bryan there would be no Warhammer and Games Workshop might not have survived’ (Sir Ian Livingstone, January 2024).
Written by Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley, and Richard Halliwell and released in 1983, the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle was the game that launched a phenomenon in tabletop gaming and the growth of an industry giant: Games Workshop. As the cover artwork for the first ever Warhammer product, Blanche’s ‘Harry the Hammer’ stands as a cornerstone in the history of gaming. It ushered in a gaming revolution, introducing a proprietary miniature system and immersive lore that transformed wargaming from generic historical simulation into a richly creative and narrative-based experience. It built a global hobby culture that fused strategy, storytelling, painting, and world-building, making miniature wargaming both a social and artistic pursuit.
In the Warhammer universe, the character Harry the Hammer was conceived as an archetypal hero and adventurer, a stalwart warrior, symbolizing both the resilience and martial prowess central to the emerging Warhammer narrative. Commissioned by Bryan Ansell, Blanche’s artwork translated this vision into a striking, visceral image, characterized by rugged detail, heavy armour, and a palpable sense of battle-worn perseverance—whilst never official, it is acknowledged that the character of Sigmar was heavily inspired by Harry. Blanche's distinctive style—dark, gritty, and richly textured—brought to life a universe steeped in conflict, heroism, and grim realism, setting a new standard for fantasy illustration. ‘Harry the Hammer’ was subsequently used on 21 box sets of Citadel Miniatures, including Bryan Ansell’s Chaos Marauders.
John Blanche began his association with Games Workshop in 1977 by supplying the cover art for issue 4 of White Dwarf and the colour art for the cover of the British edition of Dungeons & Dragons, for which they held the UK and European licence. A freelance artist at the time ‘Harry the Hammer’ was commissioned, he was known to Bryan Ansell as both lived in Nottingham and he was a keen collector of miniatures, regularly visiting Table Top Games and Asgard Miniatures, Ansell’s first company. By 1986, Ansell had appointed Blanche to the role of art director at Games Workshop, responsible for directing all in-house art and commissioning work from outside illustrators. Outside of Games Workshop, his art commissions included 5 interior illustrations for A Tolkien Bestiary (1979) and the cover and interior illustrations for Steve Jackson’s Fighting Fantasy book Sorcery! (1983-85). He retired from Games Workshop on 31st May 2023.
‘Harry the Hammer’ was acquired directly from the artist by Bryan Ansell. Bryan was a founding partner of Citadel Miniatures alongside Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone, and later became the MD and majority shareholder of Games Workshop before selling his shares in December 1991. ‘Without Bryan there would be no Warhammer and Games Workshop might not have survived’ (Sir Ian Livingstone, January 2024).