Prowling Cougar Print Appraisal

Daniel Smith - Limited Edition Wildlife Print: Prowling Cougar

This is a large-format wildlife art print by renowned artist Daniel Smith, depicting a cougar (mountain lion) standing on a rocky outcrop beneath gnarled trees, with two magpies in the foreground. The piece is a limited edition lithographic print, evidenced by the pencil numbering '234/650' and the artist's signature in the lower left corner. The artwork showcases exceptional realism with a focus on light and texture, particularly in the rendering of the fur, the parched bark of the trees, and the stratified desert rocks. It is housed in a high-quality professional frame featuring a wide, textured dark brown moulding that mimics 'tooled leather' or distressed wood. The framing includes a triple matting—a wide sage-green outer mat with a stone-like texture, followed by thin burgundy and cream-colored inner mats that provide depth and draw focus to the vertical composition. The overall condition appears excellent with no visible fading, foxing, or moisture damage to the paper. The colors are vibrant, ranging from dusty earth tones and sun-bleached greys to the sharp contrast of the black and white birds. The level of detail suggests a late 20th-century or early 21st-century production, characteristic of Smith's contemporary wildlife realism style.