This exquisite piece of contemporary art titled "Coup De Grâce" is a stunning depiction of a Grumman TBF-1 Avenge fighter torpedo bomber used during World War II's Battle of the Coral Sea. Created by the renowned artist John Keith Butterfield, this handmade acrylic painting measures 11 inches in height and 14 inches in width, and comes unframed. The painting is signed by the artist himself and is an original piece produced in 2018. The detailed and realistic portrayal of these aircraft and the military theme make this a unique and valuable addition to any collection. With its Americana culture and production technique, this painting is a true masterpiece that is sure to impress.

John Keith Butterfield (1930-2023) John was born on August 6, 1930, in Momence, Illinois. The son of C. Elvin Butterfield and Clara (Wyatt) Butterfield, John was a graduate of Momence High School and the University of Illinois. He married Martha A. Butterfield in 1956 in Champaign, Illinois. John was a veteran of service with the United States Air Force, where he served as a sergeant in the Alaskan Air Command during the Korean War. He worked for the Pope Brace Company in Kankakee until becoming a contract negotiator for the US Army at Joliet Arsenal. His work there took him to the Rock Island Arsenal and later to the Pentagon. He retired from the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1991 and returned to the Kankakee area, where he was a photographer, writer, and cartoonist for the Bourbonnais Herald, Country Market newspaper until he relocated to Las Vegas in 2015. John was an artist, whose paintings, drawings, cartoons, and hand-made greeting cards are treasured by many. He was also an avid photographer and model builder. Some of his detailed airplane models, created from scratch with found materials, are displayed at the Lyons Air Museum in Orange County, California.

The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battle was the first naval action in which the opposing fleets neither sighted nor fired upon one another, attacking over the horizon from aircraft carriers instead. To strengthen their defensive position in the South Pacific, the Japanese decided to invade and occupy Port Moresby (in New Guinea) and Tulagi (in the southeastern Solomon Islands). The plan, Operation Mo, involved several major units of Japan's Combined Fleet. Two fleet carriers and a light carrier were assigned to provide air cover for the invasion forces, under the overall command of Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue. The U.S. learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two U.S. Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force to oppose the offensive, under the overall command of U.S. Admiral Frank J. Fletcher. On 3–4 May, Japanese forces invaded and occupied Tulagi, although several supporting warships were sunk or damaged in a surprise attack by the U.S. carrier Yorktown. Alerted to the presence of enemy aircraft carriers, the Japanese fleet carriers advanced towards the Coral Sea to locate and destroy the Allied naval forces. On the evening of 6 May, the two carrier fleets closed to within 70 nmi (81 mi; 130 km) but did not detect each other in the darkness. The next day, both fleets launched airstrikes against what they thought was the enemy fleet carriers, but both sides actually attacked other targets. The U.S. sank the Japanese light carrier Shōhō, and the Japanese sank the Sims, a destroyer, and damaged the fleet oiler Neosho. On 8 May, both sides finally located and attacked the other's fleet carriers, leaving the Japanese fleet carrier Shōkaku damaged, the U.S. fleet carrier Lexington critically damaged and later scuttled, and the fleet carrier Yorktown lightly damaged. Both sides having suffered heavy aircraft losses and carriers sunk or damaged, the two forces disengaged and retired from the area. Because of the loss of carrier air cover, Inoue also recalled the Port Moresby invasion fleet. Although the battle was a tactical victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk, it has been described as a strategic victory for the Allies. The battle marked the first time since the start of the war that a major Japanese advance had been turned back. More important, the damage to Shōkaku and the aircraft losses of Zuikaku prevented both ships from participating in the Battle of Midway the following month.

The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world. The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become the most effective and widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi and being credited for sinking 30 submarines. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s.

We strongly encourage you to thoroughly read the condition details above and to view all of the photos before purchasing, as these photos describe the item most accurately.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.  All orders are packaged properly and promptly shipped from Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Thank you for your interest; please take the time to view all of the items within our Curioddities eBay store, as we have a wide variety of items including antiques, books and magazines, collectibles, music, toys, and many other vintage rarities and obscurities.  We will combine shipping costs, just ask!