(Click second thumbnail above to watch video)
 
Museum-Quality Matte Paper Print available in two sizes:
12" x 16" (30cm x 40cm): $35.00
24" x 32" (60cm x 80cm): $48.00
 
"...Elwing with the Silmaril upon her breast had cast herself into the sea. Thus Maedhros and Maglor gained not the jewel; but it was not lost. For Ulmo bore up Elwing out of the waves, and he gave her the likeness of a great white bird, and upon her breast there shone as a star the Silmaril, as she flew over the water to seek Eärendil her beloved."- The Silmarillion, Chapter 24: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
 
In what may be one of the most symbolic scenes in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, Elwing casts herself into the sea rather than let a Silmaril fall into the hands of the sons of Fëanor. So many of the elves have been caught up in a kind of madness over possessing these jewels, and you can see the Silmaril on the Nauglamir weighing Elwing down like an anchor of worldliness. But the Valar have other plans for her, and this painting depicts the liminal moment in which Ulmo bears her up out of the sea, transforming her into a white bird so that she can fly to her husband and join him on his voyage to Valinor.
 
As explained in the blog post accompanying this painting, the theme of this work of art is second chances. The heavy, jeweled carcanet around Elwing's neck is the Nauglamir over which her grandfather, Thingol, fought so terribly with the dwarves who crafted it. So many terrible things happen to Thingol's descendants as a result of the Silmarils that the jewels seem almost like a curse. But hope is not lost. Elwing is being transformed at this very moment and rescued for a far higher purpose. With her husband, she will make it to the forbidden shores of the Blessed Realm, and the Valar will forgive the rebellion of the elves, even coming to Beleriand to rescue it from domination. Hope is not lost.
 
If a scene of hope unlooked-for and transformation would uplift your spirits, perhaps you can make a special place for contemplating Elwing in your home with this museum-quality print.