Thanks to a very aggressive mid-century marketing campaign by Martini, their 'bar and ball' logo has become iconic. This enamel sign is a reasonable size and features a relatively early version of the logo with a rich red 'ball' element and large, simple typography.

 

The same style of sign was produced throughout northern Europe, this French variant has the additional "l'Apéritif - en vente ici' (on sale here) text. The sign probably dates to the 1940s/'50s... 

 

The sign evidences a life lived - heavy cleaning over the years has dulled the enamel's gloss and worn through the enamel layers, leaving some of the white enamel layer visible through the black bar (particularly around the 'R' and some of the grey base layer visible through the white... There's a little enamel loss around the outer edges and a few minor areas to the main face, though nothing that impacts the legibility of the sign. As is common with European enamel signage from this period, the sign has a small return which adds rigidity and four mounting tabs to allow for easy hanging, these all remain present. 

 

The sign measures 68cm wide x 48cm high x 1cm deep.

 

S/N: #1667