Tolkien art on auction at Heritage Auction Galleries (07.11.09 by Pieter Collier) - Comments

It seems to become a monthly thing that Heritage Auction Galleries is selling some nice Tolkien related art. Especially the art from book covers and Tolkien calendars is coming out on the market. If only I had some very deep pockets I would have tried to buy some Tolkien art last October. Also this month one is able to place bids on a nice piece of Tolkien art, this time by Rowena, that is going on auction in the "2009 November Signature Comics & Comic Art Auction". Here follows the description of the painting and the results of some other Tolkien art that sold last month.

Location:Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, Dallas, TX 75219
Auction Date: November 19-21, 2009

ROWENA MORRILL - Beren and Luthien

This fantasy masterpiece, done for the month of February 1981 in the J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar, was also featured on pages 42-43 of The Art of Rowena.
The artist wrote, "I love the sounds and smell of the deep woods. I adore the feel of moss under my bare feet. And who could not enjoy a full moon? For me this is such a happy setting. It is a place where I would like to be and where I too would dance out of sheer pleasure. I sought to express that exultation and sense of freedom in the figure of Luthien."

Features:
This piece has an image area of 25" x 24", and it has been matted to an overall size of 32" x 30.5". The art is in Excellent condition.
This piece comes from the Estate of Charles Martignette
Estimate: currently at $ 650 - open for bids

Here are the results of two actions of Tolkien art from the "2009 October Signature Illustration Art Auction" which was held in Dallas.

Location: Heritage Auctions - Design District Annex, 1518 Slocum Street Dallas, TX
Auction Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009

GREG HILDEBRANDT (1939) and TIM HILDEBRANDT (1939 - 2006)
J .R. R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth, book cover, 1977

This illustration appeared on the cover of J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle-earth by Daniel Grotta-Kurska, Warner Books, 1977.

This painting belonged to an important California collection.

Features:
Acrylic on board
This piece is framed to an overall size of 23.25 x 14.75 in.
Signed lower right

Estimate was: $5,000 - $7,500

Sold for: $ 8,962.50

J.R.R.Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth is a book about the man, rather than his writings. The story, as told by biographer Daniel Grotta, follows Tolkien from his early childhood and his forbidden love. His life at Oxford follows, as Tolkien created Elvish and demonstrated a surprising sense of humor in his staid academic surroundings. He became a lieutenant during World War I, joining the Lancashire Fusiliers. While recovering from trench fever in a hospital, he began to write The Silmarillion. Then, with his wife and young son, he moved back to Oxford where he received a master of arts degree and helped to revise the Oxford English Dictionary and Sir Gawain & the Green Knight. In the spring of 1925, Tolkien became a professor of Anglo-Saxon. In an attempt to modernize myth, Tolkien wrote The Hobbit. It was published in 1937 to excellent reviews but moderate sales. The biography continues, analyzing tolkien's later life and his writing The Lord of the Rings.

The book includes many pages of reference notes and even further readings. The biography is clear and straightforward, but focuses on tolkien's life first and his writings second. Still, there are many fascinating anecdotes and parallels between tolkien's life and his writing. Throughout the biography, Grotta connects events in tolkien's life with The Lord of the Rings, showing the inspiration for tolkien's ideas.

The writing style is detailed-packed, yet well-measured and interesting. Tolkien fans will find this book a useful explanation of the great fantasy writer's life. Grotta includes few speculations or explanations, choosing to focus on the facts of Tolkien and the events that inspired his marvelous books. It's a straightforward and informative read.

Daniel's biography of J.R.R. Tolkien has been in continuous publication for over 25 years and translated into numerous languages (buy here from Amazon UK / here from Amazon US.

Another painting that was sold during the same auction is the following:

DARRELL K. SWEET - The Slaying of Glaurung,
The J. R. R. Tolkien Calendar preliminary illustration, 1982

This preliminary study was done for the finished illustration that appeared as the month of January in the J. R. R. Tolkien Calendar, ballantine, 1982.
This painting belonged to an important California collection.

Features:
Watercolor and pencil on board
12 x 12.5 in.
Not signed
Estimate was: $1,000 - $1,500
Sold for: $ 657.25

Enjoyed this post? Click to get the RSS feed.

Spread the news about this J.R.R. Tolkien article: