$150,000
This massive axe, composed of metal and wood, was a gift from director Peter Jackson to John Rhys-Davies who played the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings (New Line Cinema, 2001, 2002, 2003) film trilogy. Rhys-Davies can be seen wielding the axe beginning in the second Lord of the Rings film The Two Towers and again in the third installment of the franchise, Return of the King. Peter Jackson presented the axe to Rhys-Davies on the final day of filming. Each cast member was given a gift on their last day of shooting, generally a prop that was significant to their role. The axe was part of the 88 pounds of equipment that Rhys-Davies wore for his role. In total, two or three axes were made for the film. In addition there were lighter weight models for throwing and miniature axes made for Gimli’s doubles, who were smaller than Rhys-Davies and required proportionately smaller axes for visual consistency. Another “gift” Rhys-Davies received was the opportunity to burn the Gimli mask he wore during production which had given him trouble throughout filming. The double-sided axe is a bit of invention on the part of Jackson. In JRR Tolkien’s book Gimli uses only one axe which is representative of the Tolkien dwarves mining culture. The double headed axe of the film is obtained by Gimli in the Mines of Moria while accompanying Frodo Baggins on his quest to destroy the One Ring. The mines were once a dwarf realm led by Gimli’s cousin, Balin, who died in a battle with orcs, wielding
Auctioneer:
Juliens Auctions
Date:
2014-04-11
