Tolkien fans everywhere will soon be able to buy into a legend by subscribing to the public appeal to finance a sculpture celebrating the internationally acclaimed author and his Birmingham roots. From October 1st, courtesy of EBay, fans can bid for a metal leaf with a personalised dedication and associate themselves with this most famous of writers.<\/p>\n
The iconic controversial 20 ft high \u201cEnt\u201d will be located on Birmingham\u2019s Tolkien Trail close to where the author lived in Moseley Village, and between his childhood home of Sarehole, later immortalised as \u201cHobbiton\u201d and the Edgbaston of his youth. The Ent, a benign and friendly tree-like being, is depicted striding across a carpet of metal leaves towards Moseley Bog, the inspiration for the \u201cOld Forest\u201d in \u201cThe Lord of the Rings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sculptor is Tim Tolkien, grandson of JRR Tolkien\u2019s younger brother, Hilary. Tim already has a track record in creating landmark public art like his spectacular `Sentinel\u2019 sculpture on Spitfire Island in Castle Vale marking the area\u2019s association with the WWII fighter plane.<\/p>\n
The giant statue will be fabricated in recycled stainless steel with bronze and copper coatings. The individually wrought leaves will be embedded into a paving of resin bonded, crushed green glass at the base of the Ent. Tim will engrave each unique leaf with wording of the sponsor\u2019s choosing.<\/p>\n
There are a total of 400 silver coloured metal leaves, the first of which has been reserved by The Tolkien Society and some others sold to local patrons on a preferential basis. In addition there are 30 larger bronze leaves for corporate sponsors and private donors,<\/p>\n
The Moseley Statue Group who finally obtained planning permission earlier this year has always envisaged an international dimension to the public appeal to raise the \u00a380,000 needed to finance the sculpture. Tolkien is a worldwide phenomenon with readers, admirers and devotees in every corner of the globe.<\/p>\n
For those familiar with the EBay worldwide marketplace, buying your leaf couldn\u2019t be easier. Type \u2018Ent Leaves\u2019 into the search box, and you will be offered the opportunity to \u2018Buy it Now\u2019 on a strictly limited number of leaves. \u00a3500 will secure you a leaf, but if you are a risk-taker, you can make an offer – and take a leaf out of Tolkien\u2019s book\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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