The mystery of who created prized vintage posters celebrating Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings has been solved – by the artist.
In 1969-1970 Count Dominic Bon de Sousa Pernes, the London-born son of a Portuguese aristocrat, was an architectural student in Newcastle upon Tyne. While there, he was commissioned by entrepreneur Jack Drury to create three posters to capture the fantasy world of author JRR Tolkien.
They were a big hit – and still are – but two of his poster designs have languished in his attic for decades. Four years ago Dominic was amazed to discover prints of posters he’d drawn 50 years ago were prized collectors’ items changing hands around the world for £350-£400 each.
Now Tolkien fans have an opportunity to own the real thing. Dominic, 76, is parting with his original signed artwork for two psychedelic prog posters, one depicting wizard Gandalf, leader of the Fellowship of the Ring, and the other his fictional horse Shadowfax. He does not have his original artwork for a third poster he was commissioned to create, Gollum.
His designs will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on June 4 guided at £2,000-£3,000 each – and they’re tipped to spark a bidding battle among Tolkien fans. Not only can they bag the original drawings, Dominic has Tolkien connections.
The Surrey-based owner of DBSP Design Consultants 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.
“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.”
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.
“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 high fantasy children’s books 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. They have had a profound impact on popular culture inspiring productions on stage and screen.
Count Dominic Charles Peter Bon de Sousa Pernes, better known on the drawing signatures as D. de S. Pernes, was born in Kensington Square, London, in 1947. He attended Ampleforth College, Yorkshire, and was awarded a History Scholarship to the University of Cambridge to read Architecture. However not wishing to have a sabbatical year, he went straight to the highly regarded School of Architecture University of Newcastle upon Tyne where he completed a BA (Hons), Bachelor of Architecture and, later, an MArch. From the mid-1970s-1990 he was a design consultant to several large firms of architects in London. This included a year’s sabbatical working as a set designer for BBC Television Centre, Shepherds Bush. From 1995-2004 he was owner and MD of Tempus Stet London and, from 2005 to the present, he is CEO of his own design consultancy DBSP Design Consultants. It specialises in innovative architecture, interiors, decorative and furniture design. Prestigious clients have included entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and musicians Pete Townshend and Adam Ant.
Auction: The posters, lot 17 and 18, will be offered in the Library Auction, Hansons Auctioneers, Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, England on June 4, 2024
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
Enquires: [email protected]
