The Gate of The Goblins by Alan Lee (1997)

This 1997 watercolor illustration by Alan Lee, titled The Gate of the Goblins (alternatively known as Bilbo Escapes), captures a tense climax from Chapter 5 of The Hobbit. The painting shows Bilbo Baggins standing alone near the lower exit of the Misty Mountains, looking down a tunnel blocked by a heavily armed garrison of goblins wielding spears, shields, and bows. Having just escaped Gollum and discovered the One Ring, Bilbo stands at a crossroads, realizing his path to freedom is heavily guarded. Lee’s signature framing through a dark rock cavern, combined with the bright, blinding sunlight pouring in from the outside door, beautifully conveys Bilbo’s vulnerability and the desperate leap of faith he must take by putting on the Ring to slip past his captors unseen.