Leonetto CAPPIELLO (1875-1942) Barolo Mirafiore, 1921 Mixed media. Mounted on canvas. Signed and dated lower left. (Restorations, tears and stains). 139.5 x 99.5 cm Bibliography : Rennert, p. 219, no. 341. See also no. 339, 446, 447. Although statuary from ancient Rome was often used in Italian posters (notably by Leopoldo Metlicovitz), it was not in the spirit of Cappiello, who preferred to invent his own characters. Mirafiore was a group of Italian wine merchants offering a whole range of wines, including reds, with Barolo being the most powerful... Hence the idea of using a muscular athlete who would speak to the transalpine public. This poster is therefore an exception, for an Italian customer of course, standing out as it often does against a dark background, a young athlete treated realistically, without sculptural exaggeration, bottle in hand, sketching what seems to be an evocation of the discobole...