Italian Drinks Poster, Carpano Brindisi Storico Napoleone – Armando Testa (1949–51)


History and theatre combine in this magnificent early Testa poster for Carpano, in which the figure of Napoleon himself raises a glass in a brindisi storico — a historic toast — to one of the world's great aperitivo traditions. Created between 1949 and 1951, at the very beginning of Testa's celebrated creative relationship with the Turin vermouth house, the poster announces the arrival of a graphic talent that would go on to define Italian advertising for half a century.


Napoleon and the Turin Connection


The choice of Napoleon as the poster's protagonist was not arbitrary. Carpano's history intersected with the Napoleonic era, and the figure of the Emperor lent the brand a grandeur that linked it to the great sweep of European history. Testa renders this historical conceit with characteristic boldness, using simplified, almost heraldic forms to create an image that is simultaneously monumental and immediately readable — a poster that worked equally well at street scale and at close quarters.


Armando Testa at the Dawn of his Career


Armando Testa (1917–1992) was still establishing his reputation when he began working with Carpano in the late 1940s. These early posters show the seeds of everything that would make him Italy's greatest graphic designer: the confidence to reduce complex ideas to a single powerful image, the instinct for colour, and the typographic discipline honed through his early training in Turin. The Carpano commissions were career-defining, and this Napoleone poster is among the most dramatic and historically rich of the series.


A Piece of Italian Advertising History


Meticulously restored from an original vintage source, this poster is a wonderful acquisition for collectors of Italian graphic design, Napoleonica, and aperitivo culture. It brings together history, artistry, and commercial brilliance in a single unforgettable image.

The poster has been carefully digitally restored by an artist remove any major signs of wear and tear and to refresh the original colours, retaining the vintage character of the poster.

COPYRIGHT:


For personal use only.


You should not physically resell or digitally redistribute the artworks as originals nor as modified.

WHAT YOU WILL GET

You will receive a download link to enable you to download the high resolution files with different ratios. They are in JPEG format. Your link will expire in 14 days and you will be able to download the files 3 times.

Please contact us if you encounter any difficulties with this.

A 4x5 ratio file for printing 4"x5", 8"x10", 16"x20", 40x50cm.

A 3x4 ratio file for printing 6"x8", 9"x12", 12"x16", 18"x24".

A 2x3 ratio file for printing 4"x6", 6"x9", 8"x12", 10"x15", 12"x18", 16"x24", 20"x30", 24"x36".

An international paper size file for printing 5"x7", A5, A4, A3, A2, A1, 50x70cm.

A file for printing 11"x14". https://bit.ly/4cYJKK3