Cincinnati Bengals 1981

Bill Band

1 in stock

Watercolor Painting

Bill Band

This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

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$595.00 USD - Price includes framing as well as fast, free shipping with UPS
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$595.00

This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Orange), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1981 Cincinnati Bengals uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Cincinnati Bengals uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Cincinnati Bengals products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Bill Band for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Football League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NFL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

In 1976, under their new head coach Bill Johnson, the Bengals set a face pace winning 9 of their first 11 games. Unfortunately, losses to the Steelers and Raiders, late in the season, cost them the division title and a playoff berth.The next four seasons would not be any kinder to the Bengals. In 1977 they won 8 games, in 1978 and 1979 they won only 4 games; then 6 games in 1980.In 1981 the Bengals unveiled new uniforms and a new attitude. Under second year head coach Forrest Gregg, Cincinnati became the class of the AFC. They won their division on the strength of a 12-4 record and secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs.They beat the Bills 28-21 in an AFC Divisional game, this win would represent the club's first playoff win ever. One week later the Chargers came to town, and were soundly whipped by the Bengals 27-7 in mind bogglingly cold 59 degree weather, thus giving the Bengals their first AFC championship and their first trip to the Super Bowl.Their postseason roll ended in a truly great Super Bowl game when they met up with Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. The Bengals fell behind early, but fought back in the second half narrowing the 49ers lead to 6 points, but ultimately lost the game 26-21.In 1981 the Bengals adopted a look that would be considered among the most distinctive in football for years to come. Their new home uniform featured orange tiger stripes on the shoulders of a black jersey, replacing the orange, back and white striping found on Bengals jerseys since 1968.  This home jersey also features large white numerals accented by orange trim on the front and back. New to the jersey are TV numbers - the smaller numbers on the sleeve below the shoulder, so named because TV coverage demanded an easier way for viewers to identify players.The pants remained white, but an orange and black tiger stripe design ran down the side of each leg, replacing the former straight orange and black stripes. The belt is now orange quite a departure from the traditional black.Orange helmets with black tiger stripes were now in a style unique in all the NFL. Out were the old orange helmets with BENGALS spelled out in block letters.

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