08 April 2011

'Eowyn versus the Witch-King' by Angus McBride

In contrast to Frank Frazetta's 'cheesecake' portrayal of Eowyn (as discussed a couple of days ago in this post), I think that Angus McBride's portrayal of the Rohir shieldmaiden is spot on.

I also prefer McBride's portrayal of the Witch-King. Notice that he has no visible body at all (no hands, arms, or head)! A subtle but disturbing detail.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous08 April, 2011 17:23

    Actually, this was from Angus' early period where he hadn't quite got the hang of doing hands...So, really, it was more about that than anything else.

    I do agree. this is the best version of Eowyn of which I'm aware .

    (And, yes, I see all the other hands in the painting. Sheesh! you try to bring a little humor in the world...)

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  2. Lasgunpacker08 April, 2011 17:32

    Clearly the fellbeast on which Copplestone based his 10mm figures as well.

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  3. Akrasia08 April, 2011 18:24

    "Actually, this was from Angus' early period where he hadn't quite got the hang of doing hands"

    LOL

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  4. blob08 April, 2011 21:07

    YEAH! I have always felt that Angus' vision of Middle-Earth was spot on and best matched the way the world seemed to me.

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  5. Anonymous08 April, 2011 22:45

    It's a great illustration in its own right, but Eowyn's long curly locks and dress doesn't exactly sync with her impersonation of a male soldier.

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  6. Papa Joe09 April, 2011 06:41

    This is a great image for a Tolkien purist.
    However, give me cheesecake any day ;)

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  7. Havard:09 April, 2011 09:34

    I love this one!

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  8. Maroon09 April, 2011 11:28

    "It's a great illustration in its own right, but Eowyn's long curly locks and dress doesn't exactly sync with her impersonation of a male soldier."

    I'd imagine the curly locks would have been hidden under a helmet. I agree the dress is a bit off, but she is wearing pants and a horseman's tunic, and the dress is really just a rather long shirt. I'd imagine most of the men of Rohan that could afford a horse and arms would dress like that, although with a slightly higher hemline.

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  9. Anonymous10 April, 2011 01:35

    Yeah. You would expect a tad more helmet hair.

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  10. Lord Kilgore11 April, 2011 12:50

    I remember this from a MERP advertisement, I think. I believe it's my favorite illustration of something from LotR ever. Well, at least in the top ten...

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  11. Dave Felton12 April, 2011 21:19

    I wasn't familiar with McBride's Tolkien; but his work on Osprey's Men-At-Arms series is outstanding. And no one can beat the thighs Frazetta gave his women!

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