Tolkienists.org

Going through the catalogue of the Paris exhibition [Tolkien: Voyage en Terre du Milieu] for Tolkien Studies vol. XVII invited me to take a closer look at some pieces I had not studied for some time, now reproduced in a high-quality format. In particular, I looked at the ​“Gate of Minas Morgul” (TAI #159), which looks like a face with a gaping open maw, complete with an impression of upper teeth given by the raised portcullis, and of eyes that actually look sick, presumably because of all the poisons which the citadel is so infamous for.…