SCREEN-USED BY DAVID BOWIE AS GOBLIN KING ‘JARETH’ IN THE MAGIC DANCE SCENE FROM JIM HENSON’S LABYRINTH—THE STERLING SILVER HANDLE TO THE GOBLIN KING’S SCEPTER

Fabricated by silversmith Mitchell Nugent and featuring most prominently in the ‘Magic Dance’ song sequence, the present lot is a screen-used artifact from Jim Henson’s cult classic musical fantasy, Labyrinth (1986). This sterling silver handle—now detached from the leather crop portion by time—is a hero prop used by David Bowie in his sensational performance as Jareth, the Goblin King. The crop appears several times throughout the film, with its most significant appearance being at the start of the ‘Magic Dance’ when Jareth taps the scepter-like riding cop against his boot in impatience. As Bowie performs the choreography of the scene, he frequently uses this engraved scepter to pantomime singing into a microphone.

Silversmith Mitchell Nugent was born in New York City in 1948 and by 1968, Nugent was a full-fledged hippie travelling the world until settling in Wales in 1971. It was in Wales that Nugent decided to teach himself the art of silversmithing and jewelry making—eventually developing his signature design aesthetic comprised of baroque carvings of fantastical creatures. Ranging from delicate butterflies with scaled wings to glass-eyed fish to weaponry and amulets, Nugent’s work eventually allowed him to rent a small studio in Camden Town in 1980.

A few years later, the crew working on Jim Henson’s Labyrinth would stumble upon Nugent’s studio and offer him his first big break—a commission to produce hero props for David Bowie’s character in the upcoming fantasy feature. Nugent accepted the commission to create several custom props for Jareth the Goblin King—two of which are on offer in this sale.

While this original, screen-used prop returned to the studio of Mitchell Nugent at the end of the shoot, there was a copy cast in brass of this piece presented to David Bowie.