This spectacular museum quality piece of World War I aeronautical memorabilia is fuselage fabric insignia from French ace Armand Pinsard’s SPAD painted by renowned artist Theophile Alexandre Steinlen. With a total of 27 confirmed air-to-air victories, Armand (1887-1953) was France's eighth highest-scoring WWI ace. When war began in 1914, Pinsard was already a twice decorated veteran for service in Africa. He transferred to the French Air Service in 1912 and was serving with MS23 as a reconnaissance pilot when the war began. In early February 1915 he was forced to land in enemy territory, was severely beaten by his captors and after nearly 14 months as a POW and several failed escape attempts, managed to successfully break out of prison in the spring of 1916. By the summer of 1916 he was again in the air, this time assigned to a fighter squadron, Escadrille N26. He is believed to be the first frontline pilot to fly the SPAD, a French biplane fighter, in combat. On August 23, 1916 he was credited with his first air-to-air victory, but not before receiving eight bullet holes in his own aircraft. In November 1916 he was appointed the commanding officer on N78, an assignment that ended when he was severely injured in a June 1917 accident. His injuries required months of hospitalization before returning to the front as the commanding officer of Escadrille SPA23 and scoring 11 of the last of his total 27 air-to-air kills. After the November armistice Pinsard remained in the French flying service, and during World War II he was severely wounded in a bombing raid on June 6, 1940 that resulted in the loss of a leg. The fabric panel measures approximately 18 ¾ x 68 ¾ inches, depicts a stalking panther in gold on a black background, and is mounted on a wood panel held in a 25 ¼ x 76 ¼ inch wood frame. What appears to be seven bullet holes pierce the fabric, and the wood backing is cutout to more clearly show the battle damage. A brass plaque that reads “LA PANTHERE/INSIGNE DE L’AVION DU LT PINSARD. Descendu en Combat Aerien/Le 16 Avril 1917./A SOUAIN (CHAMPAGNE)” (The Panther/Badge of Lt. Pinsard airplane. Descended in Air Combat/April 16, 1917/Souain (Champagne)) is attached to the wooden frame. The panther was the insignia for Escadrille N78. The April 16, 1917 date on the frame plaque corresponds to an active period in Pinsard’s combat service record. From April 10 to 15, 1917 Pinsard added three additional victories to his score. The fabric is possibly from the plane Pinsard was flying in April 1917, just after he received his 8th air-to-air victory. Another possibility was that the fabric was removed from the SPAD he crashed in June 1917 during a low altitude evolution. Below the panther’s tail is the French inscription in gold paint that reads, “a l’heroique Lieut. Pinsart/homage de Steinlen” (the hero Lieut. Pinsart homage by Steinlen). Pinsard’s name is incorrectly spelled by famed Swiss born French artist Theophile Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923). Although a multifaceted artist, Steinlen is best known for his Art Nouveau poster designs that often depicted cats and Parisian culture at the turn of the century, and his works are in the collections of some of today’s most renowned art museums and galleries. According to Albin Denis and David Méchin, Pinsard met Steinlen at the Parisian cabaret Le Chat Noir (see http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille078.htm). Thought to be the first modern cabaret, Le Chat Noir was immortalized by Steinlen in his 1896 art poster Tournée du Chat Noir de Rodolphe Salis (Tour of Rodolphe Salis' Chat Noir), which of course prominently depicted a cat. The stalking panther makes for an unusual piece of artwork by an artist who clearly had a fondness for felines. WWI aircraft fabric rarely comes up for sale, and fabric with expressions of wartime squadron insignia, especially signed by renowned artisans, are virtually impossible to find.

Fine. Most of the crazed gold panther paint remains as well as the black background. The fine panther details remains distinct. The inscription is legible. An extraordinary and historically significant work of wartime aviation art for a famed French ace painted by a famed French artist that will be a highlight to even the most advanced public or private military aviation or art collections.