A hand-painted map of Thra by conceptual and creature designer Brian Froud, created during the production of Jim Henson and Frank Oz's visionary fantasy film The Dark Crystal.
Froud painted the map in watercolours on a paper cutout, before mounting it onto brown paper and finally affixing it to an illustration board. He finished the piece with hand-drawn ink linework that captures the mystical "lines of force" running through Thra. This very artwork was published across pages 10 and 11 of The World of the Dark Crystal, where it is described as "show[ing] all the places mentioned in the Book of Aughra and the lines of force that determine their relationships."
Among the landmarks depicted are the Castle of the Skeksis, the Valley of the urRu, the Hill of the Landstriders, the Pod Village, Kira's Swamp, the Gelfling Ruins, and Aughra's Observatory. Together, these details form one of the most complete and canonical renderings of Thra.
Froud's The World of the Dark Crystal was released alongside the film as an in-world study of its mythology, pairing his extraordinary artwork with new text. Of the project, Froud explained: it was created to "allow the reader to enter much more deeply into the history, philosophy, and arcane aspects of the world we had created in such detail." The book went on to earn a nomination for "Best Non-Fiction Book" at the 1983 Hugo Awards.
This particular map appears on the book's final page, a striking conclusion to Froud's visionary contribution to Henson's world-building. It demonstrates his unique ability to conjure fantastical environments that feel both otherworldly and deeply authentic.
A paper label bearing handwritten pencil notations is affixed to the reverse, with the number "657" marked on the lower right of the board. These markings relate to the reproducing of the image for depiction in The World of the Dark Crystal book. Dimensions: 77 cm x 51 cm x 0.5 cm (30.25" x 20" x 0.25")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £4,000 - 8,000 M
See online here: https://propstoreauction.com/lot-details/index/catalog/462/lot/179536/111-Hand-Painted-Brian-Froud-Map-of-Thra-Artwork-THE-DARK-CRYSTAL-1982?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F462%3Fpage%3D1%26view%3Dgrid%26cat%3D9232%252C10712%252C10524%26catm%3D2%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3D1%26featured%3D0
