181 - MARGNAT WINES - c.1953

MARGNAT WINES - c.1953 “The Best Table Wines” Signed “BELLENGER” Rare original double-sided enamel advertising plaque with a square back. 49 x 35 cm. “Emaillerie Alsacienne Strasbourg” Superb polychrome version— Only 500 copies were produced (ref: “Histoires de plaques” by Pierre Meyer). Exceptional condition - Double-sided model featuring remarkable enamel quality. Both sides display splendid, intense, and luminous colors, highlighted by vivid reds of absolute freshness. The luster remains as brilliant as on the first day. For the record, there is a single, tiny chip in the enamel located on the outer edge (lower right margin), which in no way affects the superb clarity of the main design. —A high-quality example— Stemming from a tradition that began in 1780 in Auvergne, this company was founded in Marseille in 1895 by Édouard Margnat. By blending wines from Algeria and the Midi region stored in his Marseille cellars, he laid the foundation for an industrial giant. After 1945, his sons propelled the brand forward by switching to bottled wine, producing 100 million bottles per year in Châteauneuf-les-Martigues. The group orchestrated major mergers in the 1960s and absorbed its competitors (Kiravi, Gévéor, Préfontaines) to become, in 1971, France’s leading wine merchant under the name S.V.F. (Société des Vins de France), before the family withdrew from the business in 1974. Bouches-du-Rhône/PACE Provence-Côte d’Azur.