Alfa Romeo, 1970 Trophy by Marcello Mascherini, Named Example Gérard Larrousse. Original Period Piece Complete with Fruit and 18 Kt Gold Plaque
A rare original Alfa Romeo trophy from 1970, the work of sculptor Marcello Mascherini, in a named example awarded to Gérard Larrousse. A bronze sculpture, complete in every part, with a plaque and fruit in hallmarked 18 Kt gold, it is a piece of great interest to collectors of automobilia, applied art and Alfa Romeo history.
Details:
- Subject: Abstract female form, like a drape in the wind, hovering over a branch from which a fruit grows
- Object Type: Alfa Romeo trophy, named example
- Artist: Marcello Mascherini (signed on the back; letter "M" on the base of the sculpture)
- Manufacturer: Bertoni Milano, for Alfa Romeo
- Material: Bronze sculpture on a geometric metal base; plaque and fruit in 18 Kt gold
- Plaque: 18 Kt gold, with 750, 251 MI (Bertoni) and letter "B" (Bertoni) hallmarks, engraved "Alfa Romeo Milano – Gérard Larrousse – 1970"
- Fruit: 18 Kt gold, with 750 and 251 MI hallmarks, present and intact
- Dimensions: Height approx. 30 cm
- Period/Year: 1970
- Condition: Excellent overall condition, complete in every part
- Use: Collectible and display object
The Collection: the Alfa Romeo Trophies (1963-1987)
From 1963 to 1987, every year Alfa Romeo rewarded the drivers who had raced its cars with a sculpture commissioned from a leading Italian artist, a different one each year. Not anonymous cups or medals, but genuine works of art, conceived by chairman Giuseppe Luraghi together with the poet and art critic Leonardo Sinisgalli and presented at a ceremony in Milan. The artists involved include Lucio Fontana, Bruno Munari, Giò Pomodoro and Arnaldo Pomodoro, alongside Marcello Mascherini, creator of the 1970 trophy. The casting and finishing of the trophies were entrusted to Bertoni Milano, the historic Milanese maker of cups, medals and plaques and official supplier to Alfa Romeo.
Rarity of this Example
Up to 1971 Alfa Romeo produced as many trophies as there were drivers awarded, plus about twenty unnamed pieces for journalists and sponsors. According to the scholar Stefano d'Amico, author of "Auto è Arte. I Trofei Alfa Romeo" (2025), only a few dozen examples bear the name of the awarded driver. The one offered here is one of these named examples, awarded to Gérard Larrousse. It is also complete with its fruit, an element missing from other examples that have appeared on the market, and features a plaque and fruit in 18 Kt gold, both carrying Bertoni's hallmarks.
The Artist: Marcello Mascherini
Marcello Mascherini (Udine, 1906 – Padua, 1983) was an internationally renowned sculptor, painter and set designer, active mainly in Trieste. He created works for many Italian ocean liners, including Vulcania, Saturnia, Conte Biancamano, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello and Achille Lauro. At the 1950 Venice Biennale he won the first prize for sculpture ex aequo with Luciano Minguzzi, himself the creator of the 1965 Alfa Romeo trophy. For Mascherini, victory was "a dry laurel branch" bearing a single fruit, brushed by a wing in the wind: the image that gives life to this trophy.
The Driver: Gérard Larrousse
Gérard Larrousse (Lyon, 1940) is among the most successful French drivers of the 1960s and 1970s, a six-time French circuit champion. After his driving career he ran Renault Sport and in 1987 founded his own Formula 1 team, Larrousse.
A trophy of rare historical, artistic and collectible interest: the perfect complement to any collection of Alfa Romeo automobilia, vintage trophies and art connected to the world of motoring.
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