Posted: July 14, 1999 at 21:00:48: by Goodgulf
I've been puzzled by a couple of pictures that Tolkien drew/painted to depict scenes from the Hobbit. If you will follow the link to Rolozo Tolkien and click on images, the first picture is of the interior of Bilbo's home at Bag End. If you look behind Bilbo (right side) on the wall above the chair, do you see a clock? A clock with counterweights and a pendulum. That's what I see, but just in case I'm wrong I wanted some one else to confirm or deny it. And Bilbo is certainly dressed differently than other artists have depicted him. I had said that the culture of the Shire seemed more akin to Victorian England than to some ancient lost civilization, though that shouild not be a surprise to any one. Tolkien himself said that the Shire was more or less a representation of England. The next picture I want you to look at is of Bilbo lying on the mountain top next to the eagle. Is he wearing boots? If they are boots, doesn't that contradict Tolkien's statement that Hobbits always went shoeless due to the leathery soles of their feet? Of course I don't know what Tolkien himself had to say about his own artwork. Are we to take these pictures as "gospel", rather than any of the other artists who have done illustrations for the Hobbit and LOTR?
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Rolozo Tolkien Page
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