John Swatsley (American, B. 1937) "Spanish Imperial Eagle" Signed lower right. Original Acrylic on Illustration Board painting. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 14c Official Mail stamp issued January 29, 1985. The eagle is truly one of the most majestic of all birds. Even early man was awed and inspired by the eagle. The symbol used by the Sumerian city of Lagash in three thousand B.C. was an eagle, which was engraved on the tablets and seals of the leaders and was carried as a military standard by the army. The eagle also appeared on the seals of early Kings as well as on ancient coins. The early Greeks considered the eagle a messenger of Zeus and it was supposedly the only bird allowed to live in heaven. This was perhaps because of the eagle's ability to soar out of sight, or, in the minds of the Greeks, to heaven. One of the Greek myths also tells of the young shepard boy, Ganymede, who was carried off to Mount Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods. To this day, eagles are used as symbols of pride and nobility. The beautiful Spanish Imperial Eagle depicted on this First Day Cover, is one of the smaller of the eagles. It lives in densely wooded areas and feeds on small animals like rabbits and squirrels. Unfortunately, because of both destruction of its natural habitat and overhunting, the Spanish Imperial Eagle is now extremely rare. Image Size: 14 x 11.5 in. Overall Size: 20.5 x 18 in. Unframed. (B09485)