Description
Génial Lucifer
Vintage bicycle headbadge - 1930
Period piece in brass characterized by its upper cut-out in crenellated crown.
The heart of the coat of arms, enhanced with a deep Red enamel, bears the emblem of the brand: an imp.
Not to be confused with a lion!
The reliefs at the back of the plate better reveal the characteristic details of the devil: a head topped with small horns and the clearly forked tail (bifid) engraved in the matrix.
The lettering "GÉNIAL" and "LUCIFER" frame the embossed coat of arms on a white enamel background.
Red and white enamel paint on a curved brass plate to fit on the frame of a bicycle.
Date from the 1930s with a very beautiful typography.
Why a name like that for a bike?
This plate bears witness to a major industrial alliance between the two world wars. It was born from the merger, in 1930, between the establishments Génial (a famous Lyon manufacturer of frames founded in 1907 by Louis Mouterde) and the Parisian brand of cycles Lucifer. The latter was created in 1902 by the supply house Mestre & Blatgé, located on avenue de la Grande-Armée in Paris.
The name Lucifer originally played on its Latin etymology Lux Fero, the bearer of light, evoking the progress of the time, but the company chose to illustrate it in a heraldic way by an imp.
This gave society Génial Lucifer!
During its golden age (from the 1930s to the 1950s), Génial-Lucifer will shine at the top of French cycling by equipping great champions of the Tour de France such as Charles Pélissier or Jean Robic, before ceasing production in 1956
Material: Brass, Red and white enamel.
Dimensions: Height: 7cm - Maximum width: about 3cm
Condition: Authentic vintage. Natural oxidation and patina of time, enamel with cracks or minor gaps that highlight its history. The lateral attachment eyelets are intact.
