Beren posted an interesting article on Cor Blok illustrating the 2011 HarperCollins Calendar on his site.

http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/9 ... alendar_2011_Cor_Blok.php

I left a comment disagreeing with one of the sentences in the post

"Cor Blok is the only artist ever to have met J.R.R. Tolkien, and the only artist Tolkien admired enough to purchase some of his work."

I think you may doing a disservice here to Pauline Baynes, she certainly met Tolkien and he hugely admired her work, though I am not sure if he ever purchased any, he did ask for a permanent loan of the artwork on the 1963 Deluxe Edition Slipcase.

Does anyone know if Tolkien ever bought, rather than was freely given, Pauline Baynes original artwork?