BIDDING HAS BEGUN ON MORE THAN 2,000 COSTUMES, PROPS AND SET DECORATIONS FROM THE AWARD-WINNING HBO SERIES
By Robert Wilonsky
Winter is here. On October 10-12, Heritage and HBO will present Game of Thrones: The Auction, offering fans the unique chance to own props, costumes, set decorations, weapons, jewelry and more from the acclaimed adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s novels.
Until now, a TV screen was as close as you could get to Jon Snow’s Valyrian steel sword Longclaw, Jaime Lannister’s golden hand, the black leather overcoat and dragon chain Daenerys Targaryen wore to her assassination, Tyrion Lannister’s Hand of the Queen pin, a dragon egg and dragon’s skull, the Shame Bell, a White Walker, the melted Iron Throne itself or enough swords and shields to stage a full-on “Battle of the Bastards.”
Those are just a handful of this event’s iconic items.
Jon Snow’s Night’s Watch ensemble and Valyrian steel sword Longclaw, available in Game of Thrones: The Auction on October 10-12
Heritage worked with HBO’s archivists and production team to offer more than 900 lots – consisting of more than 2,000 pieces total – from the celebrated series, one of HBO’s most successful franchises and winner of 59 Emmy Awards. Among the highlights are costumes, jewelry and accessories designed by Emmy Award winner Michele Clapton and weapons, armor and shields crafted by armorer Tommy Dunne. The auction spans nearly every character and almost every second of the series, from the pilot episode to the series finale – from the moment Robert Baratheon asks Ned Stark to become Hand of the King to Bran Stark being crowned ruler of the Six Kingdoms.
“Game of Thrones has been one of HBO’s most successful series and has created an incredible and dedicated fan base around the world,” says Janet Graham Borba, Executive Vice President of Production. “We are excited to give fans an opportunity to take home a little piece of Westeros, while also giving them a glimpse of the creativity and the groundbreaking work that went into the series.”
Jaime Lannister’s golden hand and cuff, designed by costume designer Michele Clapton and made by armor master Giampaolo Grassi
“I look forward to every auction held at Heritage, but the Game of Thrones auction is something I’ve been eagerly anticipating for a long, long time,” says Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena. “Seldom have we held an Entertainment auction on such a grand scale, highlighted by our exhibitions in New York, London, Chicago and Dallas. It’s always a joy working with HBO, and it’s an honor to present such remarkable pieces from such an extraordinary series.”
The auction features a wide range of props, costumes and memorabilia from all aspects of the series. The costumes might as well be characters themselves: In the book Game of Thrones: The Costumes, Clapton writes they were intended “to make sense within the world and help advance the storytelling.” Each costume was the result of conceptual renderings, extensive research and the use of color to communicate status, story arc and surroundings. Nothing was incidental, coincidental or accidental. And everything was glamorous enough to merit myriad mentions in Vogue, Esquire and countless fashion magazines throughout the series’ eight-season run.
Daenerys Targaryen’s Season 8 leather coat ensemble
Clapton says now it’s “heartwarming” to see her Game of Thrones costumes head to auction, because they “will have another life” beyond their use on the series.
“You design things for a television show, and usually that’s the extent of their life span; they get put in boxes and stored away,” she says. “I am very fortunate that these costumes will have an afterlife. I find it’s rather comforting to know they will carry on, that they’re still loved and talked about. Now they can all go off and have their great lives.”
Every fan will have their favorites in the auction. For some, those will be Daenerys’ costumes, which span her evolution from hero to villain. The auction opens with the rose-colored dress from the first episode of the first season, “Winter Is Coming,” which Clapton has described as “a tube of fabric gathered onto a rope of either heavy silk or cotton” – the simple wardrobe of a Pentoshi commoner. Each subsequent costume carries a similar meaning, from the first-episode wedding dress – the color of the moon, worn like a gift meant to be unwrapped – to the more formal (and blood-stained) chiffon dress of Season 5’s “The Dance of Dragons” to the militaristic, charcoal-colored ensemble worn in Season 7 as she succumbs to her darker ambitions.
Tyrion Lannister’s Hand of the Queen pin
Every costume signals a key moment in the series, a turning point, a revelation. Sansa Stark’s black coat and underskirt from the Season 5 episode “The House of Black and White” is meant to signify her “evolution from a pawn to a player in the Game of Thrones.” Tyrion Lannister’s ensemble – made of leather, moleskin and cotton – first seen in “Winter Is Coming” looks rich and intricate to indicate his nobility. Yet, as Clapton has said, “The cut and style are practical, reflecting his pragmatic approach to life.” And Cersei Lannister’s long-sleeved metallic dress, made to resemble chainmail, is meant to intimidate, to signal that war approaches. It’s also an optical illusion intended to provide a glimpse “directly into Cersei,” Clapton has noted.
Each item in the auction is heavy with implication. And heavy is often the keyword when one browses the armory, which includes all the heroes’ weapons of choice: the Valyrian steel bastard sword Longclaw, gifted to Jon Snow by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont; Arya Stark’s rapier Needle given to her by Jon; and Jaime’s Oathkeeper, which Brienne of Tarth wields during the Battle of Winterfell in the final season.
Entertainment Weekly gave a sneak peek of Jaime’s golden right hand before the Season 4 premiere in March 2014, noting that “the heavy metal bling” was designed by Clapton and made by armor master Giampaolo Grassi. “The amount of detail is pretty extraordinary for an item that’s typically only seen at a distance.”
The Shame Bell that Septa Unella rings during Cersei’s walk of atonement in Season 5
Additional items in the auction include the Hand of the King (and Queen) pins worn by Ned, Tyrion and Tywin Lannister; the Iron Coin of the Faceless Man given to Arya; the map markers; and the Shame Bell that Septa Unella rings while escorting Cersei during her walk of atonement. Some larger items include the handmade Weirwood Tree tapestry that hung in Winterfell’s Great Hall and the four panels that constitute the Westeros map room floor seen in the Season 7 premiere “Dragonstone.”
One of the many dragon-related props in the October auction
Dragons, too, fill the event – from the brooches Daenerys wore in the unaired pilot to the original, first versions of the dragon eggs presented to Daenerys upon her wedding to Khal Drogo in “Winter Is Coming.” The seemingly translucent eggs are meant to look as if they possess “a latent, magical energy,” says prop designer Gavin Jones. There, too, is a maquette of baby Drogon that served as his stand-in during Season 3’s “And Now His Watch Is Ended,” as well as the imposing dragon skulls banished to the basement of the Red Keep by Robert Baratheon – bookends from a tale of fire and ice.
Game of Thrones: The Auction will preview to the public September 17-October 4 at Heritage Auctions’ New York City gallery, 445 Park Avenue, and from September 19-October 4 at Heritage’s London location, 10 Hanover Street, London W1S 1YQ.
ROBERT WILONSKY is a staff writer at Intelligent Collector.