TWO Lord of the Rings posters are set to fetch up to £6,000 at auction after spending decades gathering dust in an artist’s loft.
Mystery had surrounded who created the prized posters which celebrated JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novel, and copies of the artworks have been selling for hundreds of pounds online.
7
7
But it has now emerged they were penned by aristocrat’s son Count Dominic Bon de Sousa Pernes – who was taught by Tolkien’s son at school.
Dominic was commissioned by entrepreneur Jack Drury to create three posters to capture Tolkien’s fantasy world while he was an architectural student in Newcastle.
They proved a big hit, and still are to this day, but two of his poster designs have languished in his attic for half a century.
Dominic, 76, is now parting with his original signed artwork for two psychedelic prog posters – one depicting wizard Gandalf, and the other his fictional horse Shadowfax.
Years later he was stunned when his depiction of Gandalf, based on Da Vinci’s ‘Old Man’ looked remarkably similar to Ian McKellen’s character in the hit film franchise.
His designs will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Staffordshire on June 4 with a guide price of £2,000-£3,000 each.
Dominic said he was amazed to discover the prints he’d drawn 50 years ago were prized collectors’ items changing hands around the world for £350-£400 each.
However, he no longer has his original artwork for a third poster he was commissioned to create, Gollum.
Dominic, the London-born son of a Portuguese aristocrat, said: “JRR Tolkien’s son, Michael, taught me Roman History at Ampleforth College, near York, in 1966.
“Poor Mr Tolkien, we did play some pranks on him.
“When I was studying architecture in Newcastle, an entrepreneur called Jack Drury commissioned me to create a series of drawings in sequence – Gollum, Gandalf and Shadowfax from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
“I’m not really an artist and I’d never done a poster before but I agreed.
“The plan was to print posters from my drawings and sell them through the Sunday supplements.
“Due to intensive architectural coursework, I spent many all-nighters working on them in my tiny rented room with drawing board and bed.
“I’ll never forget it because a person in the room next-door was constantly coughing. They later died of consumption.
7
7
“I knew the books extremely well because I’d been taught by Mr Tolkien.
“It was an extraordinary mix of what I thought the characters looked like based on my reading and interpretation of the books.
“Gandalf’s face was based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Old Man.
“Then, years later when the Tolkien Estate released film rights, there was an uncanny resemblance to my characters in the film, especially Gollum and Gandalf.
“The posters sold well. They were available at a legendary London science fiction bookshop called Dark They Were and Golden Eyed – until that was halted by publishers George Allen & Unwin.
“The Gandalf and Shadowfax artwork has been been stuck in my attic for years.
“In fact I forgot about it, so I’ve decided to let it go, hopefully to some big Tolkien fans.”
Dominic can also boast being Al Pacino’s body double and a saxophonist in Blondie – as well as playing alongside Mark Knopfler, Sting, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
How to find a bargain in a charity shop
THRIFTY shoppers can get designer clothes and shoes at rock bottom prices if they look in the right places at charity shops.
You can get Vivienne Westwood T-shirts and Yeezy trainers for as little as £20, according to one expert. But these gems are easy to miss if you don’t know where they’re usually kept.
That’s why last year The Sun spoke to British Heart Foundation shop manager Jo Webala for tips on how to sniff out the best bargains in stores.
Ms Webala managed a team of seven paid staff and 25 volunteers at the charity’s Manchester Piccadilly store.
She’s spent many years looking after the store and its workers, putting out stock on the shop floor, serving customers and arranging shop windows to tempt customers in.
From revealing the exact times to go shopping for the best bits to when to look out for flash sales, here are her top four tips.
Head for the cabinets
The best bargains can usually be found stored in the glass cabinets dotted around stores.
This is where high-value items are kept, so they can’t easily be taken.
“We get really good stock all the time – we had a bin bag full of Vivienne Westwood T-shirts which we sold for £20, but I reckon they were £80 or £90 full price,” Ms Webala said.
“We also got some expensive and limited edition trainers, from Nike, Adidas and Yeezy. Some were probably worth £450, and we sold them for £85.
“The glass cabinets are where we put amazing stock like this.”
Make sure to check behind the till – they’ll usually be cabinets there with expensive goods in which have been donated like Doc Martins, designer sunglasses and jewellery.
“Don’t be afraid to ask us to open the glass cabinets,” Ms Webala said.
Exactly when to shop
Bargain hunters will want to set their alarms if they want the best deals.
You’ll also want to head to your local store on specific days during the week.
“Mornings are best to pop in,” Ms Webala said.
“Mondays are when we reorganise the shop floor and get a big injection of stock in.
“Fridays are also big stock days before the busy weekends come – during the afternoon is a good time to go.”
When flash sales launch
It’s not only high street shops that have big sales – charity shops do too.
Ms Webala said that stores will often have end of season “flash sales”.
This is so stock can be shifted quickly to make way for the new season.
“Sometimes we get excess stock and we might decide to hold a Bank Holiday flash sale for customers,” she said.
Flash sales might happen off the cuff as well if a big delivery is made – so they are sometimes easy to miss.
That’s why shoppers should follow their local charity shop’s Instagram page.
“VIP lock in dates, new drops and flash sales will be advertised on Instagram – so stay close to your shop’s social media,” she said.
Location, location, location
If you’re wanting to bag yourself designer clothes that are barely a year old, your best bet is to head to shops near cities and universities.
Ms Webalan has worked in a number of different areas for BHF, and has noticed the quality of donations varies depending on your location.
She said international students will often donate “fantastic” clothing to shops because after they’ve graduated.
While you can get fashion companies in cities donating new clothes with tags still on them to local charity stores.
“You’ll get those on trend items, instead of people clearing out clothes that are 10 years old,” she said.
He now owns architectural firm DBSP Design Consultants in Surrey.
Jim Spencer, director of Hansons’ Rare Book Auctions, said: “Tolkien is one of the most hotly-collected authors right now and the arrival of these important artworks on the open market for the first time ever will be a big surprise for Tolkien fans.
“Why, when and who created them has been a talking point among collectors for years. This solves the mystery.
“The posters remind us of the power of the written word. Tolkien’s imagination has awed millions, creating pictures in the reader’s mind.
“Dominic captured that on canvas. He brought the magic of Tolkien’s high fantasy novels to life visually.
“The fact that he was taught by JRR Tolkien’s son adds to the appeal. It deepens the connection to the author of two of the best-selling novels of all time.
“I also love the fact that Dominic accepted the challenge to draw the posters even though he’d never done anything like it before.
7
7
7
“But when you read his resume you realise he’s a multi-talented polymath. His abilities go far beyond art, architecture and design.
“He’s played clarinet and saxophone since the age of seven and performed with musical greats such as Mark Knopfler, Sting, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
“He was also saxophonist with the band Goldie who reached number seven in the UK singles chart with ‘Making Up Again’.
“The song also topped the charts in Japan and Australia and reached number two in Europe in 1978.
“Dominic was on TV’s Top of the Pops. He’s also had involvement in films including being a body double for actor Al Pacino.
“On top of all that, he’s designed legendary artwork that’s part of the Tolkien fantasy novel history.”
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973), an English writer and philologist, was the author of The Hobbit, published in 1937, and its sequel The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954.
They are among the best-selling books of all time. Together they have sold more than 250 million copies.
