Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Airborne Cavalry (First Edition)”
Summary
A high-contrast black-and-white screen print rendering a parody military regimental badge: a winged crested insignia topped by a stylized crown, a central roundel reading "D*FACE" with an abstract fanged skull-face flanked by outstretched bat-like wings and small skull-and-crossbones, banners reading "DAWN" and "RAIDS," and a bottom scroll spelling "AIRBORNE CAVALRY." It is an early D*Face work that turns the heraldry of military honor and aviation squadron insignia into a mock badge, joining the war-and-power satire and winged-creature motifs that run through his earliest street-era output.
Why It Matters
The print sits at the formative end of D*Face's career, when he was translating sticker-and-stencil street language into editioned prints. By appropriating the visual grammar of a military crest — wings, crown, scrolls, mottoes, skull-and-crossbones — and stamping it with his own brand name, he subverts the iconography of state power, honor and aerial warfare into something closer to a gang patch or a satirical commemorative emblem. It shows the artist working in pure graphic monochrome rather than his later candy-coloured comic palette, and demonstrates the brand-as-logo, insignia-as-weapon approach that anchored his early reputation alongside the British street-art wave of the mid-2000s.
Collector Perspective
A 2005 screen print in an edition of 100 places this squarely in D*Face's scarce early-period output, before his market and edition sizes expanded. The graphic monochrome badge format is less universally recognizable than his signature winged-eyed D*Dog or his comic-strip romance pieces, which can narrow the buyer pool, but the small edition, early date and overt war/power theme give it genuine appeal to collectors chasing his pre-fame material. Realistically it is a niche-but-desirable early piece rather than a marquee image; condition, signature/numbering and provenance will drive value more than the motif's mainstream pull.
Historical Context
Made in 2005, during D*Face's Early Street Era, when he was emerging from London's sticker-and-stencil scene and shortly before he co-founded StolenSpace gallery. The imagery riffs on British and aviation military heraldry — regimental cap badges, RAF/squadron crests, and the wings-and-crown insignia of airborne units — recast with mock mottoes ("Dawn Raids," "Airborne Cavalry") and death's-head symbolism. The result reframes the visual authority of armed force as a parody emblem, consistent with the anti-establishment, anti-war undercurrent of the wider mid-2000s street-art movement.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A parody military regimental badge rendered in white on black: a winged crest topped by a stylized crown, a central roundel reading "D*FACE" with an abstract fanged skull-face and outstretched bat-like wings, banners reading "DAWN" and "RAIDS," and a bottom scroll spelling "AIRBORNE CAVALRY."
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 100.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, produced in 2005.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though this should be confirmed against the individual example and its certificate or pencil markings.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b.1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity imagery. His signature motifs include the winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.