John Swatsley (American, B. 1937) "Bataleur Eagle" Signed lower right. Original Oil on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. $1 Official Mail stamp issued January 12, 1983. Cylindrical seals -- the kind used to seal letters with wax -- are an important source of information about ancient cultures. The seals, some dating from as many as five thousand years ago, often bear the image of a man astride a bird's back. This bird is thought to be the proud and noble eagle. Thus, the cylindrical wax seals are believed to recall the ancient legend of the eagle and the snake. According to this time-honored Mesopotamian myth, the eagle and the snake made a pact promising that they would hunt together and refrain from attacking each other's young. Both parties honored the pact for a time. But once the eagle's young learned to fly, the eagle swooped down and devoured the snake's offspring. The angered snake sought and received help from the gods to have her revenge. The gods felled an ox and the disgruntled snake hid inside of it, waiting to surprise the eagle when she came to feed. Her opportunity soon arrived and the surprised eagle was quickly ensnared by the snake and cast into a pit. These events supposedly occurred during the reign of the childless King Etana. The Sun God promised the king that if he would set the proud eagle free, he would no longer be cursed by childlessness. Once the eagle was free, the bird was so grateful to the king, she took the monarch on her back and the two soared off into the sky, just as depicted on the wax seals. Image Size: 17.75 x 15.5 in. Overall Size: 23.75 x 20 in. Unframed. (B07908)