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112
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LAUGHING SHEEP - c.1930 Rare original domed enamelled advert…
See original version (French)
112
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LAUGHING SHEEP - c.1930 Rare original domed enamelled advert…
See original version (French)
Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
LAUGHING SHEEP - c.1930
Rare original domed enamelled advertising plaque. This is the small 28.3 cm diameter version.
Made by "Émaillerie Alsacienne de Strasbourg".
Signed "d'après Benjamin Rabier".
In very good visual condition - superb colours, deep, fresh and luminous, with a very nice brilliance. The plate retains two original eyelets. There is a chip in the fixing hole at the left edge - a fine example.
The story begins in Orgelet in the Jura, where Jules Bel set up as a master refiner at the age of 23 (1865).
He was only 55 when, in 1897, he handed the business over to his two sons, Henri and Léon, aged 29 and 19 respectively.
The company then became "Bel Frères".
In 1897, the company moved to Lons-le-Saunier, taking advantage of its proximity to the railway line and the Montmorot saltworks.
Henri left the company in 1908, and the name was changed to "Léon Bel, Gruyère en gros".
On 16 April 1921, Léon Bel registered the trademark La Vache qui rit. He drew inspiration from the RVF B70 badge to design a cow with a hilarious expression, later to be indelibly stamped by Benjamin Rabier.
Jura/Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures modified on 05/18/2026 at 11:41 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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