~ Circa 1931 AEL Chromed Bronze Art Deco Cabaret Girl Car Mascot ~
A lovely car mascot in the form of an art deco style cabret girl by the famous British bronze foundry and car mascot producer AEL.
The mascot is of bronze with a chrome finish.
The girl is wearing a stylised dress and has a short hairstyle both typical of the period.
The piece is signed ‘AEL’ to the reverse.
It is mounted on a black Bakelite circular plinth.
~ Dimensions ~
The sculpture itself measures 14cm (5 ½ inches) and upon mount measures 18cm (7 inches).
It weighs 415g.
~ Condition ~
The piece is in a nice condition with only a couple of areas of….minimal wear and no damage.
~ AEL or Louis Lejeune Ltd ~
Louis Lejeune Ltd is a small bronze foundry in England, producing mainly car mascots (hood ornaments). It is the only surviving maker of custom car
mascots from the art deco era of the 1920s and 1930s when many new cars were fitted with a mascot.
The company was founded in London in 1910 as AE Lejeune (AEL), by a French silversmith Emil Lejeune and his wife Augustine (known as “Mimi”), who
had arrived in England from Paris in 1904. The company initially made small ornamental bronze sculptures and architectural fittings. It later found a
market for car mascots, the first of these was probably the “Speed Nymph”, the design for which was registered in 1917. Emil went on to commission
mascots from well known sculptors such as Frederic Bazin and Charles Paillet. In 1926, they moved premises from Hallam Street to Great Portland
Street. By 1929, AEL was being described as “the world’s largest motor car mascot manufacturer”. They were commissioned by leading British motor
manufacturers to produce their official mascots; these included the Star Motor Company, Crossley Motors, Alvis Car and Engineering Company, Rolls-
Royce Limited and Bentley Motors Limited.