1999 Tolkien The Hobbit Poster, Smaug, by John Howe, Middle Earth, Lord of the Rings, print wall art decor

This poster is from from a 1999 collection of Tolkien posters from John Howe who is one of the leading artists in Tolkien artwork. Smaug was a fire-drake of the Third Age, considered to be the last "great" dragon to exist in Middle-earth. He was drawn towards the enormous wealth amassed by the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain during the reign of King Thrór. In this endeavor he lay waste to the nearby city of Dale and captured the Lonely Mountain, driving the surviving Dwarves into exile.

For 171 years, Smaug hoarded the Lonely Mountain's treasures to himself, staying within the mountain, until a company of Dwarves managed to enter the Lonely Mountain and awaken him from hibernation. Correctly believing that the Dwarves had received assistance from the men of Lake-town in entering the Lonely Mountain, Smaug left the mountain to wreak destruction upon Lake-town, nearly destroying it before being slain by Bard the Bowman.
Dimensions: 11.8 in x 18.1 in (30 cm x 46 cm)

1. Smaug - The Hobbit
"There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils, and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low in slumber. Beaneath him, under all his limbs and his huge coiled tail, and about him on all sides stretching away across unseen floor, lay countless piles of precious things, gold wrought and unwrought, gems and jewels, and silver red-stained in the ruddy light.""

John Howe and Alan Lee were the leading designers in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy set of movies from Peter Jackson. You can see that these earlier posters show a strong resemblence to those later films, his influence is undeniable.

John Howe is best-known for his artwork of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Howe and Tolkien artist Alan Lee served as chief conceptual designers for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Howe illustrated the Lord of the Rings board game created by Reiner Knizia, and re-illustrated the maps of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion in 1996–2003.

For The Hobbit films, original director Guillermo del Toro and replacement director Peter Jackson consulted with both Howe and fellow conceptual artist Alan Lee to ensure continuity of design.

These posters are sent as unframed. They will be sent in a cardboard backed envelope for protection.

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