Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Timber Wolf" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor on Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Baby Wildlife of the 50 States, postmarked May 11, 1984. In snug burrows dug deep into the sides of hills, the tiny pups of the Timber Wolf are born in the early spring. Born blind with sooty brown fur, the litter of five to fourteen helpless pups must totally depend upon their mother's milk for about a week after birth. Five to nine days later, their eyes open. Soon after, the babies are eating solid food and growing steadily. The fuzzy Wolf pups spend their days playing and romping through spring meadows . . . however they never wander far from the pack. At eighteen months the young Timber Wolves are well-grown and can now travel with their parents on hunting trips, staying within a close-knit family group for some time. Timber Wolves are devoted parents and providers who will adopt orphaned pups and raise them as their own. In fact, legends have told of lost children raised lovingly from infancy by wolves as in the tale of Romulus -- legendary founder of Rome and his twin brother Remus. When fully grown, the Timber Wolf may measure four to six feet and weigh up to 175 pounds. Once maintaining a range which was probably greater than any other land mammal, the Timber Wolf has been largely restricted by the advance of human civilization. Today, this wild dog has been brought to the edge of extinction, with only a few scattered packs prowling the wilds of Minnesota, Michigan, and Mexico.

Image Size: 10.75 x 12.75 in.
Overall Size: 20 x 22.25 in.
Unframed. (B08677)

- 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.

- Due to the size of our gallery not all items are out for preview at one time. If you plan on coming to preview any lot(s) we recommend letting us know prior so we can have them collected and prepared for your preview.

- 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.

- All artwork is listed and sold per section (10) of our terms and conditions, please read over all definitions of authorship prior to bidding to better understand artwork listings.

- 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.