Radiator Cap Mascot By Pierre De Soete: A Soaring Eagle, Ford, In Art Deco-style Bronze

A radiator cap, known as a "mascot," made of bronze (originally nickel-plated) depicting a soaring eagle, created by sculptor Pierre de Soete (1886–1948) for Ford automobiles.
Marked on the left side:
SCULPTED BY P. de Soete
Marked on the right side:
Published by the newspaper ....FORDISTES
Mounted on an antique base, inlaid on one side.
The eagle has lost its nickel plating, and its beak is bent, which explains the lower price compared to some models in poor condition that sell for over €1,000.
A similar model appears in the book *La folie des bouchons de radiateurs* by Dominique Pascal, published by Flammarion, on page 265.
Shipping available via Chronopost for:
France: €30
Europe: €60
Other countries: €90
*Pierre Jean Desoete was born on July 30, 1886, in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In 1900, he was hired at the polishing and chasing workshop of the Compagnie des Bronzes in Brussels. He then moved to the assemblers’ workshop. There he came into contact with renowned sculptors such as Julien Dillens, Constantin Meunier, Prince Paul Troubetzkoy, and Jef Lambeaux. A skilled and observant self-taught artist, he drew inspiration from these experiences to become a sculptor himself. At the same time, he studied at night school and briefly took classes in drawing at the Molenbeek Academy, as well as in modeling. He enrolled in a short training program at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels.
In 1911, a bronze foundry in Anderlecht appointed him head of one of its departments.Starting in 1924, he devoted himself fully to sculpture and received numerous commissions: monuments, portraits, murals, and medals. He primarily focused his talents as a sculptor on athletic subjects and war memorials. He excelled at subjects such as motherhood and sports (The Winner’s Effort, The Tennis Player, The Olympic Oath, The Shot Putter, The Boxer, the second Gordon Bennett Cup, etc.).Several of his works have been acquired by museums in Europe and the United States.
His sculptures and medals are on display, among other places, at the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces, the Brussels Medal Cabinet, the Diocesan Museum of Mechelen, the Riga Museum in Latvia, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.Artistically, he did not identify with any particular school, but in his small-scale private works, he adopted a classical style. He died on August 16, 1948.