Raiders of the Lost Ark “God of Light” Prop Wall Plaque
November 19, 2007 by Jason DeBord
A fellow collector posed some questions to me today regarding the original prop Raiders of the Lost Ark “God of Light” wall plaque offered in the upcoming Profiles in History auction (see Profiles in History Hollywood Auction 30 Catalog Out):
The description reads:
952. Screen-used “god of light” head from Raiders of the Lost
Ark. (Paramount, 1981) Made from Fibrous plaster and mica, and
measuring 15 in. x 15 ½ in. this “god of light” head can be seen in the
opening sequence on the wall of the Mayan temple as Indy runs past the
flying arrows in pursuit of the golden fertility idol. Lot includes a set of
four original sequential storyboards depicting the above scenes with pencil
notes and biro writing. $2,000 – $3,000
In discussing this same offering with another hobbyist last week, he pointed me to the following replica, claimed to be a casting made by Elstree Props, on the YourProps.com website:
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones) (1981), Chachapoyan Temple Wall Plaque
The description reads:
Cast from an original wall plaque in the collection of Elstree Studios where the opening scenes of Raiders were filmed. Made by Elstree Props.
Comparing the two images, the two pieces appear to match in many fine details (such as distinct marks, pits, and damage):
In my opinion, based on these two photos, they do appear to be from the same source, or one a casting of the other.
This is a good example of the consequences and impact on original prop collecting concerning direct castings made of original props.
At best, it makes the acquisition of such copied pieces problematic, and puts that much more of a burden on provenance and authenticity in order to differentiate between an original and castings of that original. For many, such pieces become undesirable as a result, due to the inherent risk.
In this case, with the information available, I can offer no guidance apart from recommending diligence in determining authenticity. At best, the Profiles offering is the original from which copies were produced, but I would think additional material information would be required to demonstrate that contingency.
If any readers have any additional information in regards to these pieces, please feel free to post a Reader Comment below.
Jason De Bord
hi again well its funny you should bring this to light mr de bord. my article does not direct this piece but i remeber back 2-3 auctions profiles had a stunt hk from tomb raider the caption said used on screen by angelina jolie. the weapon was very very torn up so i was a bit int still so i called them by tele and asked was this piece used by her and not her double or others? the kind jent said we really have no idea? i said to myself wow they are the biggest in this industry? i was really shocked by this reply ,as you can see why. well the item went on to sell for 8,000 us . i guess big mistakes are made even with profiles. but lets make it safe and fun not just about the bottom lines.
There is more than one of these face plaque on the wall, so would they make all the faces different by making one mould for each face? This is the same argument as the Star Wars Death Star tiles, do you think they are all different and no two are the same cast of the same mould? What you need to do is to compare the material used, paint job, but then Elstree is in fact in my mind a questable prop house itself to start with. Perhaps now you finally realised that movie prop and costume business is one big underground society. It is not about what you know but who you know.