Bidspirit auction | AMERICAN DON QUIXOTE OIL ON

AMERICAN DON QUIXOTE OIL ON BOARD PAINTING, C. 1950 - An American School mid-20th-century oil on plywood panel depicting the literary figure Don Quixote in an expressive Modernist manner, circa 1940–1960. The three-quarter bust portrait portrays the wounded knight errant with a bandaged head fastened by a safety pin, blood trickling down his temple and neck, a dressing on his cheek, and taped fingers grasping a polished barber basin and lance. In the background, silhouettes of wind-driven mills stand against a shadowed landscape and twilight sky. In the upper right corner, an escutcheon with a white field and red border bears an intertwined red monogram ”SM” (or ”MS”). Housed in a molded giltwood frame. Cervantes, La Mancha, Mambrino, chivalric, WPA, Social Realism, New Objectivity, allegorical. Dimensions Frame: 24 x 21 in. Image: 19 1/2 x 16 3/4 in. All measurements are approximate. Condition The painted surface exhibits fine, stable age craquelure, most prominent within the white field of the upper escutcheon, alongside minor perimeter rubbing from frame contact. The reverse plywood panel displays scattered paint splatters and graphite framer notations. The molded giltwood frame shows light rubbing, finish losses, and corner abrasions. Condition appears consistent with age.