Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Mastodon Roaming Prairie" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor painting 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 set of four U.S. Prehistoric Animals stamps issued on June 8, 1996.

Toward the end of the Mesozoic Era about 65 million years ago, changes began to take place on Earth, resulting in the growth of mountain ranges and a colder and more arid climate. Swamplands and shallow oceans dried up, hastening the extinction of many reptilian lifeforms. These geological and atmospheric changes prepared the way for the next age of history: the Cenozoic Era, also known as the age of mammals. During this era, ancestors of present-day mammals -- including early elephants, horses and camels -- originated. Carnivores proliferated and evolved into canine and feline types of animals. While some creatures adapted very well to the changing environment, others could not tolerate the new conditions and migrated to more temperate areas. Those that could not adapt eventually became extinct.

Image Size: 15.5 x 20 in.
Overall Size: 18 x 20 in.
Unframed.
(B15126)

- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.

- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.

- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com

- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.

- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.

- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.