Bidding for this lot will end on Friday, March 27th. The auction will begin at 2:00 PM (PDT) / 5:00 PM (EDT) / 9:00 PM (GMT) and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Wednesday, March 25th or Thursday, March 26th.

An exceptionally rare original production cel featuring the Giant used in the making of the 1939 black-and-white Looney Tunes short Porky the Giant Killer.

The cel includes the screen-printed inscription and signature of producer Leon Schlesinger, identifying it as one of the earliest known Warner Bros. animation presentation pieces.

Hand-inked and painted on celluloid, this superb image captures the oversized character's expressive grin and commanding posture in exquisite detail. The cel remains mounted to its original 1930s wood frame and blue backing, consistent with how the studio originally presented these works.

During the late 1930s, Warner Bros. Cartoon, then known as Leon Schlesinger Productions, began experimenting with ways to promote its animated shorts. While Walt Disney Studios had established the Courvoisier Galleries programme to sell artwork commercially, Schlesinger's studio had no such infrastructure or retail channel.

Instead, a very small number of hand-inked cels were selected from current Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes productions and framed for internal use. Each bore a printed message and Leon Schlesinger's facsimile signature, confirming its authenticity as a true production cel "used in" the making of the cartoon.

These framed, signed examples were created as presentation gifts, typically offered to visiting executives, theatre owners, and personal friends of the studio, serving as both marketing tools and expressions of Schlesinger's pride in his rapidly growing animation unit. The practice predates the later Warner Bros. art programs by decades, making these among the first officially acknowledged pieces of Looney Tunes artwork ever released from the studio.

Few black-and-white cels from this era have survived. Unlike Disney, which preserved and sold artwork through official channels, Leon Schlesinger Productions routinely destroyed or reused its materials once photographed. Those that were saved, especially with their original printed studio inscriptions, represent a critical bridge between the pioneering age of theatrical animation and the emergence of animation as collectible art.

This outstanding example is notable for its large image size, expressive character rendering, and exceptional preservation. A historic artefact from the earliest years of Warner Bros. animation, it directly links to the hands-on era of Leon Schlesinger himself, the showman-producer whose studio would soon give the world Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck (whose voice was allegedly based on Schlesinger's), and an entire generation of animation icons. Dimensions (framed): 34.5 x 27 x 2.5 cm (13.5" x 10.5" x 1")

Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.

Estimate: $300 - 600