Title: The fair valley of 'Rivendell'
Artist: J.R.R. Tolkien

1937

Tolkien painted this watercolour to illustrate the first American edition of The Hobbit. He made five drawings of Rivendell and two preparatory sketches of Elrond's house before arriving at this composition. It illustrates perfectly the hidden location of the Last Homely House, nestling in the deep cleft (the riven dell) carved out by the river. 'His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley.'

Drawing by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Hobbit, 1937. MS. Tolkien Drawings 27. Reproduced with kind permission of The Tolkien Estate Limited for the Bodleian Libraries exhibition Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth.

© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1937.