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New pic released from HBO


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HBO's site has posted this picture from the Red Keep, showing a desk against a frescoed wall. There's of course all sorts of debate at WiC, but I didn't feel like reading through it all.

I think it's absolutely gorgeous. King's Landing is supposed to be a bit Mediterranean-ish, so I think it's perfect. Some commentors were saying that it looked too 'Asian' and they didn't like the ducks. To me it's reminiscent of ancient wall-paintings from Thera and from Egypt, like here and here. I'm assuming people think it looks Asian because it appears goldish and there are cranes.

It was definitely not how I imagined King's Landing, but I think this will be one of those examples of how somebody else's vision is way cooler than the one I made up in own my head. It makes me really excited.

Thoughts?

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Wow. I haven't thought much about the Red Keep, but as you say, this is way cooler than I imagined.

Above all, it tells us something about the ambition and quality of this project. This isn't some Xena-style budget production with armour fashioned from painted hockey pads, this is the real deal. I was impressed with the throne of the Hand, and this fresco shows it wasn't just one well-made detail but that the quality of the set shines through everywhere.

I can't wait to see some of the more spectacular sets - the Iron Throne in particular.

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The WiC discussion got pretty ridiculous over this pic, with some believing it was actually a painted image of a sideboard on the wall to give the illusion of a piece of furniture...why go to those lengths, I have no idea, when it's so much easier to just buy/modify an appropriate already existing piece, but whatever.

Some discussion about the long dagger lying on top, with some speculating that it might be THAT dagger, with the dragon bone hilt. I don't think it is, though, unless they went far afield from the description of that weapon from the books (which is possible). But it's too long a dagger to be readily hidden and, assuming they stay true to the descriptions in the book, too white - dragon bone was described in the books as being quite dark, due to high iron content. Whatever it will be, it should at least be consistent with the dragon skulls Arya sees in the bowels of the Red Keep, a moment I can't wait to see on screen.

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Some commentors were saying that it looked too 'Asian' and they didn't like the ducks. To me it's reminiscent of ancient wall-paintings from Thera and from Egypt, like here and here. I'm assuming people think it looks Asian because it appears goldish and there are cranes.

I have been remembered of Frederick II's De Arte Venandi com Avibus. In any case, I'm with you: anything Asian about it.

And very cool, by the way. In my mind I had made the easy connection and I imagined all the walls and decorations reddish, but I'm sure I'll love their interpretation of the place. Specially if there is as much detail as this.

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Some discussion about the long dagger lying on top, with some speculating that it might be THAT dagger, with the dragon bone hilt. I don't think it is, though, unless they went far afield from the description of that weapon from the books (which is possible). But it's too long a dagger to be readily hidden and, assuming they stay true to the descriptions in the book, too white - dragon bone was described in the books as being quite dark, due to high iron content. Whatever it will be, it should at least be consistent with the dragon skulls Arya sees in the bowels of the Red Keep, a moment I can't wait to see on screen.

I think scale is quite difficult to judge in that pic, so it's hard to say. It looks to me to be about the right length, though. I'm estimating the length of the blade there at about ten and a half inches, based on the proportion to the hilt. Any less than that is really a knife, not a dagger, and too short to be the weapon that slices Cat's hands to ribbons. (IIRC she has both hands on the blade.)

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I kind of imagine the red keep as darker and grottier, but really, thats not right at all - The council chambers are layered in carpets and have sphinxes, and I expect its important for them to differentiate different sets well - set the difference between KL and WF and the East, etc, and I can also see the point of making KL visibly luxurious and lively, even if it means slightly unauthentically medieval art or whatever - it plays into, say, Sansa's intial thrill at being at court and so on. In short - pretty!

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The fact that the Red Keep has the Sphinxes, which come from the East, in the Council Chamber, suggests they could well be willing to have various rooms decorated in various styles from all over the world. KL is a great hub of trade, after all. Kings and Queens are often fond of bringing in the best finery from abroad for their own enjoyment.

And also, let's not forget that the Targaryens, who probably originally comissioned that wall, are of a culture with an origin across the Narrow Sea. We could be seeing a combination of influences, there - things the Targaryens brought with them in terms of art on the walls (maybe that's a Valyrian style?), with more local arts and crafts in the design and construction of the furniture and items resting upon it.

It would be interesting to pick the brain of Gemma Jackson and the Art Directors more to find out what they had in mind on those points.

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And also, let's not forget that the Targaryens, who probably originally comissioned that wall, are of a culture with an origin across the Narrow Sea. We could be seeing a combination of influences, there - things the Targaryens brought with them in terms of art on the walls (maybe that's a Valyrian style?), with more local arts and crafts in the design and construction of the furniture and items resting upon it.

Oooooo, I like this idea.

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