“La Rafale” Car Mascot

A fine and rare ‘La Rafale’ mascot by M.Guiraud-Riviere, French, circa 1922.

Makers mark to base, a large and impressive bronze mascot depicting a crouched draped female with her hair and drapery flowing in the wind, 24 cm high, mounted on a turned wooden display base.

“La Rafale” is a well-known car mascot, or hood ornament, designed by the French sculptor Maurice Guiraud-Rivière around 1922, depicting a woman with her cloak flowing in the wind. Made of materials such as nickel-plated bronze or polished brass and mounted on a display base or a radiator cap, it won a medal in 1922 from the Journal L’Auto and is highly prized by collectors for its stylish design and sense of movement.