April 11, 2013: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/11/2013
In an incredible double play of legendary hobby talent, the acclaimed artist Robert De Simone’s stunning artwork featuring the real all-time home run champion Henry Aaron is teamed with 16 Topps Aaron cards all elegantly arrayed on a custom Ernie Montella plaque.
The 20-inch square “plaque” is another of the hundreds created by legendary hobby figure Ernie Montella, who began selling his plaques at the fabled Willow Grove hobby shows in Philadelphia in the 1980s. This plaque featuring the remarkable trompe l’oeil artwork (a style where objects are depicted with a photo-realistic quality) by DeSimone, perhaps the foremost practitioner of the form in the sports memorabilia arena, includes 16 Topps Archives Aaron cards from 1954-67 and beyond surrounding the art at the center. All elements are affixed to a heavy wood board in the distinctive Montella process that leaves the finished piece with an intriguing matte finish that is seamlessly “laminated,” creating one-of-a-kind artwork (technically, two of a kind, since only two have been produced).
Henry Aaron Plaque by Ernie Montella with De Simone Artwork
Click above for larger image.