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"Erich Hartmann - Icons of Flight" by Robert Taylor

To complete the portfolio, each compilation is accompanied by a matching-numbered biographical book ‘The Blond Knight’ specially written for the occasion which is beautifully illustrated by Robert Taylor and his talented son, Richard. Containing several previously unseen works, the book follows Hartmann’s early years and reporting for duty with JG-52, the group with whom he’d spend almost his entire wartime flying career, through to his time held captive in Russia and flying post-war jets in the West German Air Force.

Prints are hand-embellished, signed by the artist and numbered

25 Limited Editions....$2495

Matted size: 38 1/2" x 19 3/4"

All good things eventually must come to an end, and what a way to conclude Robert Taylor’s Icons of Flight series than with this dramatic compilation dedicated to the highest-scoring fighter Ace of all time – Erich Hartmann – officially published on what would’ve been his 100th birthday.

Collectors around the world applauded when the Icons of Flight series opened with a masterful piece dedicated to Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, and they have not been disappointed by those that followed. With works depicting some of the greatest aviators of the twentieth century, this highly-popular series has featured such fighter legends as the RAF’s Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson, the Mighty Eighth’s Chuck Yeager and Robin Olds, together with the formidable wartime leaders Arthur Harris, Jimmy Doolittle and Adolf Galland. Pioneering designer Barnes Wallis of course attracted huge attention and this final release featuring Erich Hartmann will no doubt do the same because, credited with 352 victories, he was by far the highest-scoring fighter pilot of all time. And one of the most highly decorated; awarded the Diamonds to his Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, Hartmann was one of only 27 German military personnel awarded that prestigious honor.

19 April 2022 marks what would’ve been Hartmann’s 100th birthday and seems a fitting occasion to mark the end of this memorable series. At the heart of this latest composition is Robert’s iconic drawing Sting of the Black Tulip, a masterful work portraying the legendary pilot with his distinctive Black Tulip painted on the nose of his Bf109. The scene is set high above the Eastern Front on 7 July 1943 as he scores the first of seven victories that day. Matted alongside is a completely separate yet matching-numbered portrait of Hartmann in the cockpit of his Bf109 'Ursel'.

Genuine Matted Signature:

Oberst ERICH HARTMANN - Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds 352 victories – the highest-scoring Ace in history.