The Jockey’s Cup (or Equestrian)

The decoration, initially called Ippica, was designed by Ponti in 1929 and depicts the silks of the main horse racing stables of the 1920s. The choice of subject reflects the popularity this discipline enjoyed at the time, a social phenomenon as well as a sport, greatly appealing to the public. 

The cup rests on a truncated conical base, a later variant of a shape introduced by Ponti as early as 1924. The white background is divided into three overlapping registers of racing silks in the colours of each stable. Joined together by the sleeves to form a chain, these are bordered at the top by the shapes of the caps and at the bottom by the stable’s name in gold. An invention that happily combines the utmost simplification of the design with the chromatic strength and allure of the horse racing theme. 

Ponti also had smaller versions of this decoration made, to be applied to ashtrays of various shapes and sizes.