Description
Pegasus Hood Ornament – Dimensions: 5 1/2″ x 4″
Think of a Louis Lejeune Hood Ornament as giving your car or truck your personality. It certainly gives it the royal treatment – these hood ornaments grace the royal family’s vehicles.
Louis Lejeune car and truck hood ornaments are a work of art. They are cast in solid bronze by a team of craftsman using sand casting or the lost-wax method. All are cast and finished using the traditional materials and techniques Louis Lejeune has been famous for since 1910. Each statue that makes a hood ornament (car mascot) features the artisan’s unfailing attention to detail and high quality.
The most popular and standard finish is a stunning chrome-plate over bronze.
Most bases are about 1/4″ thick. The hood ornament is attached by bolts to the hood of the car, and the mounting hardware is included with each one. However, some hood ornaments can be attached by magnets, while some are not suitable for magnets. Please let us know if you are interested in this option.
Not all Louis Lejeune chrome-plated over bronze hood ornament models are in stock, due to the fact that there are many of them and demand for some is rarer than others. If this model is not in stock, please allow about 3-10 weeks to finish.
If this model is in stock, please allow about 1-3 days to ship. Ships overnight from the UK to the US.
Item 169
About the Artist – Louis Lejeune Hood Ornaments/Mascots
The name Lejeune has been synonymous with first class bronze founding for the best part of 100 years. Emil Lejeune and his wife Augustine, established AE Lejeune (AEL) in 1910. The company concentrated on small ornamental bronzes, decorative architectural fittings and, with the spread of the automobile, car mascots.
The first of the mascots produced by the company was almost certainly the “Speed Nymph.” This design was registered in 1917. The success of this first mascot enabled Emil to commission work from some of the best known artists of the day. Many existing patterns bear the initials of sculptors such as Frederic Bazin and Charles Paillet.
It was not long before Lejeune had established itself, and by 1929 was being described as “the world’s largest motor car mascot manufacturer”. Emil’s son, Louis (in 1918 the company cast this bust of Louis, aged 10), took over and renamed the company in 1933. Louis Lejeune Ltd was run from premises in Great Portland Street until 1978, when it was bought by the sculptor Sir David Hughes. While the popularity of car mascots has declined over the years, the company continues to produce bronze sculptures to the highest quality using traditional materials and techniques. Sir David’s son Timothy has been running the company since 1998.
