Tolkien Art Index

Original is lost; all reproductions are of the 1937 plate.

As is well known by now, fragments MS. Tolkien Drawings 72r and MS Tolkien Drawings 89, fol. 15r, are actually one drawing. verso is TAI #376.

Penciled on verso, “Halls of Manwe on the / Mountains of the World / above Faerie”. Also referred to as “Taniquetil.”

Later titled “Fangorn Forest,” an early name for Taur-nu-Fuin (Dorthonion), not to be confused with Treebeard’s Fangorn. The image was later the inspiration for “Mirkwood.”

Verso: runes for Thror’s map; see Art of the Hobbit fig. 31, p. 57.

On folio with TAI #133.

Inscribed in faint pencil: in lower right, “Nov. 19 [?61]”; in upper left, “Ambaróna”; in bottom center, “The Hills of the Morning”.

Pencilled in lower right, “Lyme Regis / Aug. 1928”.

Pencilled in lower right, “1928”.

Inscribed in pencil on verso: “Gandalf at Door”.

I’ve not seen the first impression of the first edition of Pictures; Christopher Tolkien’s description of “an unpublished sketch of Hobbiton … in which … there are no words … on the signpost” can, however, refer only to this piece — unless there is a further otherwise-unpublished sketch. I’d love to hear from anyone who has the first impression!

Inscribed on verso, ”The Misty Mountains / looking West / from the Eagles’ Eyrie towards / Goblin Gate”.