The canvas measures 32 inches wide by 40 inches tall, with a 1 1/2 inch wide traced border along the edges, likely indicating predicted sizing of a frame or matte. The lower right corner is marked in black "James W. Crown Lt/4 Kills/Africa & Italy/Jan 1941 thru May 1946/POW Stalag Luft 7a/June 43 May 45". Hard records on the service of Lt. Crown have not been located; one newspaper record shows a Second Lieutenant James W. Crown of West Hempstead, New York as a pilot with a medium bombardment group in February of 1943. The date of captivity falls within the envelope of preparatory bombing of Sicily and diversionary bombing of the Italian Mainland in anticipation of Operation Bulldog. Stalag VII-A was Germany's largest prisoner of war camp during WWII, and was liberated on 29 April 1945; the "May 45" date on the canvas may be a simple error of memory. The lower quarter of the canvas is blank aside from the writing, possibly intended for a commemorative marking or information card. The upper three quarters is painted chiefly in grayscale with some tan accents, with a scene of an amphibious combined arms attack, with two P-38 Lightning fighters on a strafing run at the top, a mixture of infantry and armored fighting vehicles at the bottom, a destroyed building at the right and landing craft on the left with larger ships further in the background. Lt. Crown's connection to the painting is not documented. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Very good. The edges show some rubbing, and some staining of the canvas is visible, particularly in the upper right corner.