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The Eagle Plinth

Started by warmcanofcoke, Dec 04, 2017, 02:35 am

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warmcanofcoke

Dec 04, 2017, 02:35 am Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 03:13 am by warmcanofcoke
The Eagle Plinth

What do we know about it?

The Daleks
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The Edge of Destruction
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The Reign of Terror
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The Rescue
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The Space Museum
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The Abominable Snowmen
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why doesn't the Guide mention them? - Oh, it's not very accurate.
Oh? - I'm researching the new edition.

galacticprobe

Dec 04, 2017, 04:53 am #1 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 04:53 am by galacticprobe
Quote from: warmcanofcoke on Dec 04, 2017, 02:35 am
The Eagle Plinth

What do we know about it?


Well? Not a whole heck of a lot since there haven't been many great images of it (like clear ones from publicity photos), and I can't think of any color photos of it, at least not any that I've seen. But from looking at it:

It's about 4 feet tall (maybe 4.5 feet); the base looks like a short tripod on a "flat"; the eagles' legs and feet are a bright color compared to the dark (brown?) of the eagles' main bodies and heads; and they have some decorative disc on their heads.

Not very helpful, but those are the details that jump out at me.

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

Rassilons Rod

Quote from: galacticprobe on Dec 04, 2017, 04:53 am
the eagles' legs and feet are a bright color compared to the dark (brown?) of the eagles' main bodies and heads;


The eyes are also lighter. I think both Rob and I did those in gold when we did 3D renderings.
In the cities in the streets there's a tension you can feel,
The breaking strain is fast approaching, guns and riots.
Politicians gamble and lie to save their skins,
And the press get fed the scapegoats,
Public Enema Number One.

tony farrell

Dec 04, 2017, 10:51 am #3 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 11:32 am by Tony Farrell
Quote from: galacticprobe on Dec 04, 2017, 04:53 am
Quote from: warmcanofcoke on Dec 04, 2017, 02:35 am
The Eagle Plinth

What do we know about it?


Well? Not a whole heck of a lot since there haven't been many great images of it (like clear ones from publicity photos), and I can't think of any color photos of it, at least not any that I've seen. But from looking at it:

It's about 4 feet tall (maybe 4.5 feet); the base looks like a short tripod on a "flat"; the eagles' legs and feet are a bright color compared to the dark (brown?) of the eagles' main bodies and heads; and they have some decorative disc on their heads.

Not very helpful, but those are the details that jump out at me.

Dino.

We do have a colour photo of it - unfortunately Patrick Troughton is in the way and is obscuring most of the stand (it's in the corner where the photo blow-up walls join the 3D one):

power.jpg

Since we know the diameter of the Tardis' 3D roundels and the the fact that the Eagle Stand is nearly always stood next to the walls, the height should be easy to work out. In addition, thanks to Rob49152, because we know the diameter of the Armillary Sphere which was often stood on top of the Eagle Stand, we should be able to work out the diameter of the stand as well.

dimensions.jpg

As regards having a detailed photo of it, perhaps this close-up (from The Firemaker) might help:

firemaker.png

T

cobalt

Doing some googling, I turned up the following:

http://www.onlinegalleries.com/art-and-antiques/detail/antique-carved-oak-eagle-lectern/276151
Not even remotely an exact match, but the similarity of the base shape is notable.

http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/superb_carved_eagle_lectern/as243a579
again, not even remotely close, except check out that profile picture of the eagle head.

My thinking is, the "eagle plinth" may be one of these antique lecterns.

warmcanofcoke

Dec 04, 2017, 11:35 am #5 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 12:04 pm by warmcanofcoke
Quote from: Tony Farrell on Dec 04, 2017, 10:51 am

Well, since we know the diameter of the Tardis' 3D roundels and the the fact that the Eagle Stand is nearly always stood next to the walls, the height should be easy to work out. In addition, thanks to Rob49152, because we know the diameter of the Armillary Sphere which was often stood on top of the Eagle Stand, we should be able to work out the diameter of the stand as well.

dimensions.jpg

As regards having a detailed photo of it, perhaps this close-up (from The Firemaker) might help:

firemaker.png

T


Well Tony not only is that a splendid image of the pedestal, I see there is a new article of TARDIS furnishings brought to my attention.

The Japanese KARAJISHI Shishi Lion / Foo Dog statue with both front paws standing on a ball.


b5a45c1c24dbc5b52848bf55a8e071c8--japanese-geisha-foo-dog.jpgcatphoto.jpgfoo-dog.jpgEagles 4.jpg
why doesn't the Guide mention them? - Oh, it's not very accurate.
Oh? - I'm researching the new edition.

tony farrell

Dec 04, 2017, 12:27 pm #6 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 12:31 pm by Tony Farrell
Glad you liked the picture Nate. The Lion/Foo Dog statue is used quite frequently in Dr Who; it appears in the Tardis' bedroom for Edge of Destruction/Brink of Disaster and (like the large brass Ottoman candlestick) escapes from the Tardis altogether in Marco Polo:

-OlTzV40.jpg

Mind you, this is nothing new; Mark Eden's blue tunic from Marco Polo was subsequently worn by Julian Glover in The Crusade (which also saw the brass candlestick being used outside the Tardis) whilst Eden's ceremonial Court Robes (from Marco Polo) were re-used by Michael Gough's Celestial Toy Maker!

C7trZNdXwAAetAz.jpg
s2 - The Crusade - 14.jpg2Aei8sbk.jpgCxQLfFUWIAIf468.jpg

Last night I re-watched the introductory story from Gerry Anderson's UFO and - guess what - General Henderson was sat in Aubrey Woods Controller's swivel chair from "The Day of the Daleks". And, also from the first episode of UFO
Spoiler
Ed Straker's house was furnished with an ornate Chinese-style chair which looks suspiciously like the one I saw on the set of this year's up-coming Dr Who Xmas Special!
[close]


T

davidnagel

The people who supplied and continue to supply some of the reproducable walls and bits and pieces for various sets, might just have this in their catalog. I got a hard copy, I'll take a look later.
Regards
David

tony farrell

"Trading Post" currently own the large brass Ottoman-style candlestick(s) which appeared in the Hartnell Tardis and supplied them for "An Adventure in Space and Time". They seem to have been recently restored as their constituent parts are now held together with modern dome-headed brass screws.

The Armillary Sphere last appeared (minus its arrow pointer) in one of the corridors of Hyperion III from "The Terror of the Vervoids" but, I think that this was auctioned-off by the BBC in the early 1990s. (The Knossos Throne was also sold at this time having last appeared painted white in an episode of the BBC sit-com 'Allo 'Allo.)

Good luck with hunting-down the Eagle Stand David!   :)

T

galacticprobe

Dec 04, 2017, 03:39 pm #9 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 04:27 pm by galacticprobe
Quote from: rassilonsrod on Dec 04, 2017, 07:34 am
The eyes are also lighter. I think both Rob and I did those in gold when we did 3D renderings.

I did notice that, but with the inconsistency in brightness (coupled with the bright spots on the eagles' feathers), I thought what I saw in the eyes might have just been light reflections. So I didn't bother mentioning it. The legs were consistent with their brightness, though.

Quote from: Tony Farrell on Dec 04, 2017, 12:27 pm
Glad you liked the picture Nate.

Nate's not the only one, Tony. Those pics you posted are amazing, especially that high-res image of the eagle stand from "The Firemaker". ('d never seen that one before.) Even in that one, the eye on the eagle to the left is markedly brighter than the eye on the eagle to the right, and when you look at the varying brightness on the feathers' bright spots you can see why I thought I might have been looking at light reflections. Also the little bit of the stand we can see peeking out from behind Troughton confirms the brownish color I thought they might have been.

And I'm guessing that the knobby-thingy in the center of the stand (between the three eagles) is some sort of lifting handle for moving the stand around when one wanted to relocate it?

Just curious, but that high-res image of Ian with the Foo Dog: could that be a flipped image? Ian's shirt in the image is shown closing right over left (a woman's style) rather than left over right. (Not sure if that was the style during the historical Marco Polo's time, but I doubt that would have mattered to the BBC Costume Department.)
-------------------------
Trivia on the "Foo Dogs" (or more properly "Fu Dog") from my son and his Asian studies:
The Shishi (or as he corrected me, in Chinese "Shi Shi" - I can't get the glyphs above the "i"s, but the first i has a ' over it, slanting left to right from the bottom up, with the second i having having a - above it) are Guardian Lions, though the literal translation of Shishi (either spelling) is "Stone Lion". These originated in China and spread all over Asia. They're usually seen in pairs (one with an open mouth, the other with mouth closed) guarding entrances to homes, businesses, temples, etc. Shi Shi is pronounced "Shee-shee".

Ones called Komainu (pronounced Ko-my-noo) are Japanese, and literally translates to "lion dog". They're also seen in pairs just as the Shi Shi, and they guard the entrance to Shinto shrines. (Sometimes there are smaller versions inside the shrines.)

Ones called Shisa (pronounced Shee-sah) are also Japanese and very similar to the Komainu. They're the Okinawan version and are also seen in pairs with the same mouth configuration, but these are ones people put on the roofs of their homes to ward off evil spirits.

(Yes; I know this is all totally trivial, but if he was willing to offer the info, since I paid for his university degree that gained him this knowledge I thought I might as well share what he was spouting into my ears, especially since we've got some beautiful images of the "Fu Dogs" posted.)
-------------------------
As always, Tony, you never cease to amaze when it comes to unearthing great photos and images!

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

tony farrell

Dec 04, 2017, 04:49 pm #10 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 05:04 pm by Tony Farrell
No Dino - the image of Ian with the Fu Lion (or shíshī (complete with the little accents over the 'i's!)
;) ) isn't flipped; have a look at the Fu Lion statue on top of the Eagle Stand in the picture I posted earlier, it's the same way round as it is in the picture of William Russell from Marco Polo.  

(I don't think what you call the "knobbly thing in the middle" of the Eagle Stand is a lifting handle. Even if the stand was cast from something and painted to look like wood, it would still weigh a considerable amount - if it was solid wood, it'd weigh even more. I think the 'lifting handle' is nothing more than a decorative pole with a finial on its top.)

T

galacticprobe

Dec 04, 2017, 05:08 pm #11 Last Edit: Dec 04, 2017, 05:10 pm by galacticprobe
You're right as usual, Tony. And the part in Ian's (William Russell) hair should have been a giveaway as well. I guess the BBC costume department has a better grasp on Marco Polo-era fashion than I do! ;D

You're probably right as well with that knobby thingy in the middle of the eagle plinth. Unless it's made from a light-weight wood it would weigh in excess of 50 pounds (and that's a very conservative guess). It is odd, though, that someone would think to put something like that in the middle of such a stand just for decoration. (Removing that piece would have no real aesthetic impact on the stand... at least when I envision it without that piece.) Then again, people have done stranger things when it comes to artistic decor.

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

warmcanofcoke

Imagine if we could wood CNC an Eagle plinth.
why doesn't the Guide mention them? - Oh, it's not very accurate.
Oh? - I'm researching the new edition.

Kingpin

It wouldn't surprise me if it was a victorian or edwardian pedestal plant stand.

Volpone

I'm not building a TARDIS interior right now.  I don't have the time, money, or space for one.  But from time to time I'll still pop onto Design Toscano's website for furniture ideas (They also had a decent First Doctor cane awhile back that I regret not buying.)  Not eagles, but this is fairly interesting:  https://www.designtoscano.com/product/evenswood+manor+winged+lion+pedestal+-+af8089.do?sortby=bestSellersAscend&page=2&refType=&from=fn
"My dear Litefoot, I've got a lantern and a pair of waders, and possibly the most fearsome piece of hand artillery in all England. What could possibly go wrong?"
-The Doctor.