Venezia-Estate 1921 poster – Coppa del Re – Vintage air show poster – Bonazzi Tigiv

Venezia-Estate 1921 poster – Coppa del Re – Vintage air show poster – Bonazzi Tigiv This superb vintage Venezia-Estate 1921 poster was illustrated by the artist Bonazzi Tigiv. It was used to promote the International Schneider Cup held in Venice in the Summer of 1921. The Schneider Cup was an annual International Grand Prix race for seaplanes and flying boats. The competition was also known as The Coupe d’Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, the Schneider Trophy, or the Schneider Prize. The race was first organised in 1912 by Jacques Schneider, a French financier, balloonist, and aircraft enthusiast. The initial intention of the competition was to encourage technical advances in civil aviation and was responsible for significant advances in airplane design, particularly in the fields of aerodynamics and engine design. However, the contest soon became a race of pure speed.  The race consisted of laps of a 170-mile long course (later extended to 220 miles) with the planes setting off at 15-minute intervals. The tournament offered a significant prize fund of approximately £1,000. The contests were held twelve times between 1913 and 1931 and were extremely popular, some events attracting crowds of over 200,000 spectators. In 1921, the event was held in the beautiful city of Venice. The artist Bonazzi Tigiv illustrated this fantastic poster for the event and created a scene across the Grand Canal from the jetty on the island of San Giorgio Maggore. It features a young woman amid the gondolas waving at a pilot as he flies overhead. The view is completed with a background of the Bascino San Marco including the Basilica di San Marco, the Palazzo Ducle and the Rialto Bridge. The Venezia-Estate 1921 poster read: Venezia-Estate 1921. Coppa internazionale schneider per idrovolanti gran premio venezia per idrovolanti da velocita e da trasporto. Coppa del re. Crociera Fluviale per Idrovolanti da milano e laghi Lombardi a venezia alto patronato del ministeri della marina e della guerra. Which translates as: The International Schneider Grand Prix for speed and transport seaplanes at Venice. The King’s Cup. The poster also offers – River cruises for seaplanes to Venice from Milan and Lombardi lakes. High patronage of the navy and war ministries. The 1921 race was won by the Italian pilot Giovanni de Briganti in his Macchi M.7bis with an average speed of 189.66km per hour (117.85mph).