As seen in Louder, The Chronicle

Zacron Wheel Drawings, including six pieces of paper comprising the artwork, two pages of instructions, 32 pages from a notebook, and a selection of smaller Zacron sketches which informed the design of the iconic Led Zeppelin III album.

I purchased these items at auction in The Zacron (1943–2012) Sale: Artist’s Estate Sale of Led Zeppelin’s Iconic Album Cover Artist. These were part of a mixed lot containing many other works, both larger and smaller.

A single framed sheet, lot 12, also sold in the same auction, bearing a pencil catalogue number of S10 2 and sold for £2,158 (including fees) as part of Zacron’s estate and archive. The lot description was: Richard Drew, known as Zacron (British, 1943–2012), pencil and pen on paper, Working Drawing for the Rotating Book, 1966, 38 x 51 cm, glazed frame. NB: An early Royal College of Art period working of the idea that ultimately became the rotating pinwheel for his iconic Led Zeppelin album cover.

Upon receiving my purchase lot, I discovered sheets bearing similar catalogue numbers: S10 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, along with a notebook containing additional pages for the project. It is clear to me that these drawings directly influenced the design of the Led Zeppelin III album cover based on their content. They appear to be part of the artwork in lot 12, which could be seen as the title page for the drawings once in my possession.

Zacron titled these works One Line and a Box, based on the sheet titles and the notebook pages (32 Lines and Drawings for Project One Line and a Box).

Sheet 9, the front page, is a piece of tracing paper with thicker circles drawn. Handwritten within some of these circles is the phrase cut out. In the final album cover, multiple holes were cut out to allow the disc inside the sleeve to spin, revealing different images.

On Sheet 11, there is a note reading man in space outside the wheel, possibly referencing the UFOs seen on the album cover’s gatefold. This sheet also features a cut-out midway

down the right-hand side of the sleeve in the same shape as the one on the album cover, where the disc would be spun.

On Sheet 13, notes are written inside each smaller circle within the larger one, detailing birds, animals, fish, skull, dog. The Led Zeppelin III album cover features many animals, including birds, a rhinoceros, a goat, butterflies, and more.

Also included with the circular sketches are two larger pieces of paper, both titled Order of Presentation. One appears to be a refined version of the other, listing 48 points. It is possible that Zacron’s original concept for a rotating disc within a gatefold book was intended as an art piece before he adapted the idea for the album cover.

In March 2025, I was fortunate to be put in touch with Brian Knapp, who is now the owner of these pieces.