Galleries

crocordile:

JRR Tolkien
Sketch and design for dust-jacket for The Fellowship of the Ring

In January 1954, six months before the first volume of The Lord of the Rings was published Tolkien wa asked by Allen & Unwin to suggest a dust-jacket design for the book. He replied, late in February, that he was ‘without both time and inspiration’, but before another month had passed he produced two ‘notions’ for jackets if the first two volumes, the Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. “I can hardly call them more” than notions, he wrote, “owing to their technical deficiencies. But someone might be able to rectify them or produce something on their lines. (I have indicated the precise form and significance of the ‘elvish’ lettering.)”

Five designs by Tolkien of the Fellowship of the Ring jacket are extant. One differs from the rest in that a ribbon outlined in black ink and blue pencil runs behind the central ring (representing Sauron’s Ring), and the upper, red-jeweled ring (meant to be Narya, the ruby Ring of Fire worn by Gandalf, in symbolic opposition to Sauron) is offset from the centre, the runic text on the ribbon reads ‘in the land of shadows where the Mordor lie’, shadow and Mordor curiously inverted. The text in red tengwar around the centre Ring is, with minor differences, the Ring inscription in the Black Speech, as published in book 1, chapter 2: ‘Ash nazg etc..’ At bottom left and right are the other two of the three Elven rings, Nenya and Vilya, the Rings of Water and Air, set with adamant and sapphire. Of Tolkien’s other designs for the Fellowship jacket, [the second picture]  is representative. The central device is almost fully realized: Narya suspended between stylized flames above the One Ring, within which floats the eye of Sauron (later, upon a field of black), and around which the Ring inscription is written in fiery tengwar.

From: “J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & iIlustrator”, by Hammond & Scull, page 179

crocordile:

JRR Tolkien
Sketch and design for dust-jacket for The Return of the King

Drawn and painted on black paper, it features the empty throne of Gondor awating the return of the King. Within the circle of the throne – in place of the One Ring, destroyed in the course of the volume – is the winged crown of Gondor, ‘shaped like the helms of the Guards of the Citadel, save that it was loftier, and it was all white, and the wings at either side were wrought of pearl and silver in the likeness of the wings of a sea-bird, for it was the emblem of kings who came over the Sea

With this in tengwar are the initials L ND L, the monogram of Elendil, the first High King of Arnor and Gondor. His words upon coming to Middle-earth, ‘Sinome moruvan ar hildinya tenn’ambar-metta’ (‘In this place will I abide and my heirs until the World’s end’), are inscribed in tengwar to the left and right of the throne.

Above the seat is the White Tree of Gondor with seven flowers, and the Seven Stars that were the emblem of Elendil and his heirs. Below the throne is a green jewel which repre­sents the coming of the new King, Elessar, the ‘Elfstone’.

The most remarkable detail of the original design [is] above and behind the throne: the Shadow of Mordor given gigantic human-like form. The long arm of Sauron reaches out across red and black mountains, its clawed hand like the mouth of a hungry beast, sharp with teeth. 

It proved impossible to adapt the design to binding stamps, and indeed even in Tolkien’s original art the face and form of Sauron are difficult to make out in the upper background. Fortunately a preliminary sketch survives, in which the features of the Shadow are clearly seen. 

And as the captains gazed south to the Land of Mordor, it seemed to them that, black against the pall of cloud, there rose a huge shape of shadow, impenetrable, lightning-crowned, filling all the sky. Enormous it reared above the world, and stretched out towards them a vast threatening hand, terrible but impotent: for even as it leaned over them, a great wind took it, and it was all blown away, and passed… (book 6, chapter 4)

From: “J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & iIlustrator”, by Hammond & Scull, page 183

ancientart:

The lion hunts of Ashurbanipal -details from the hall reliefs of the Palace at Ninevah. 

Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, who reigned 669-630 BCE, is shown in the first detail to be aiming his bow and arrow atop a chariot. The second image displays an arrow of his shot, flying in mid-air towards a lion. A close-up of Ashurbanipal is given in the final photograph to present the immense detail of these reliefs, for instance, note the intricate carvings which cover his clothing.

Artefacts courtesy of & currently located at the British Museum, London. Photos taken by Steven Zucker.

Source: ancientart

ridddermark:

middle earth aesthetics → gondor

even as pippin gazed in wonder the walls passed from looming grey to white, blushing faintly in the dawn; and suddenly the sun climbed over the eastern shadow and sent forth a shaft that smote the face of the city. then pippin cried aloud, for the tower of ecthelion, standing high within the topmost wall, shone out against the sky, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely, and its pinnacle glittered as if it were wrought of crystals; and white banners broke and fluttered from the battlements in the morning breeze, and high and far he heard a clear ringing as of silver trumpets.

Source: ridddermark

thefabulousweirdtrotters:

Haunting Driftwood Sculptures By Japanese Artist  Nagato Iwasaki

Nagato Iwasaki is one of those artists you don’t know much about. But his art talks for itself.

The Japan-based artist creates incredible driftwood sculptures. Each of his human-shaped figures can both mesmerize and scare you. The artist manages to create an uneasy feeling using nothing but wood and you can be sure, that if you’d stumble upon one of these sculptures at night, you’d go sleepless for days.

More info: nagato-iwasaki.com | Facebook

Source: thefabulousweirdtrotters
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