SIR DONALD BRADMAN CARICATURE PRINT BY RICARDO - HERALD SUN PUBLICATION, CIRCA 1936-1948

A CHARMING AND HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT CARICATURE PRINT OF SIR DONALD BRADMAN, THE LEGENDARY AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN, RENDERED IN THE DISTINCTIVE STYLE OF THE ARTIST RICARDO. THE PRINT CAPTURES BRADMAN IN CHARACTERISTIC BATTING POSE, DEPICTED WITH EXAGGERATED FACIAL FEATURES AND PROPORTIONS TYPICAL OF CARICATURE ART FROM THIS ERA.

IDENTIFICATION AND ATTRIBUTION:
- ARTIST: RICARDO (SIGNATURE CLEARLY VISIBLE TO LOWER RIGHT)
- PUBLISHER: HERALD SUN NEWSPAPER
- SUBJECT: SIR DONALD BRADMAN, AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN 1936-1948
- PERIOD: CIRCA 1936-1948, CONTEMPORARY WITH BRADMAN'S CAPTAINCY
- MEDIUM: COLOUR LITHOGRAPHIC PRINT ON PAPER

DESCRIPTION:
THE CARICATURE DEPICTS BRADMAN IN CRICKET WHITES, HOLDING A BAT IN READY POSITION. HIS CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES ARE EXAGGERATED WITH HUMOROUS INTENT - A BROAD, KNOWING SMILE AND DISTINCTIVE FACIAL PROPORTIONS. HE WEARS THE AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CAP WITH THE EMBLEM CLEARLY VISIBLE. THE ARTIST HAS RENDERED THE CRICKET WHITES WITH FINE DETAIL, SHOWING THE BATTING PADS AND FOOTWEAR WITH CAREFUL ATTENTION TO TEXTURE AND SHADING. THE BACKGROUND IS MINIMAL, ALLOWING FOCUS ON THE FIGURE. THE PRINT IS MOUNTED ON CREAM BOARD WITH A SIMPLE BROWN BORDER LINE, AND HOUSED IN A TIMBER FRAME WITH GLASS PROTECTION.

DIMENSIONS:
- HEIGHT: 48 CM (FRAMED)
- WIDTH: 38 CM (FRAMED)
- PRINT AREA: APPROXIMATELY 30 CM X 22 CM

CONDITION:
THE PRINT IS IN GOOD CONDITION FOR ITS AGE. THE CREAM MOUNT SHOWS MINOR AGE-RELATED TONING AND LIGHT FOXING CONSISTENT WITH STORAGE OVER MANY DECADES. THE PRINT ITSELF IS CLEAN AND UNFADED. THE GLASS IS CLEAR AND INTACT. THE TIMBER FRAME, WHICH APPEARS TO BE ORIGINAL, SHOWS NATURAL PATINA AND MINOR WEAR CONSISTENT WITH AGE. NO RESTORATION WORK IS EVIDENT. THE PIECE REMAINS STABLE AND DISPLAY-READY.

PROVENANCE:
HERALD SUN PUBLICATION. THIS PRINT REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF AUSTRALIAN SPORTING HISTORY AND POPULAR CULTURE FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF CRICKET. BRADMAN'S CAPTAINCY FROM 1936 TO 1948 WAS ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED PERIODS IN AUSTRALIAN CRICKET HISTORY, AND CONTEMPORARY CARICATURES SUCH AS THIS WERE POPULAR NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE FEATURES OF THE PERIOD.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
SIR DONALD BRADMAN REMAINS ONE OF THE GREATEST BATSMEN IN CRICKET HISTORY. HIS TENURE AS AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN COINCIDED WITH SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE TEST SERIES, INCLUDING THE CONTROVERSIAL BODYLINE SERIES AND POST-WAR TEST CRICKET. CONTEMPORARY CARICATURES AND PRINTS SUCH AS THIS WERE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH NEWSPAPERS AND WERE POPULAR COLLECTIBLES AMONG CRICKET ENTHUSIASTS. HERALD SUN PRINTS OF SPORTING PERSONALITIES FROM THIS ERA HAVE BECOME SOUGHT-AFTER PIECES OF AUSTRALIAN SPORTING MEMORABILIA.

Condition: Good - Refer To Images

293551+10

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