Description
WHAT YOU GET!
We here at The Horton Collection have made special arrangements to meet with Roger De Valeminck, Mr. Paris-Roubaix, at his home in Belgium. De Vlaeminck has agreed to personalize a small portion of the lithographs he will be signing for us.
This opportunity may not come around again. Apologies for the short notice, but De Vlaeminck only agreed to personalize 99 of each of the two prints as of today, November 27th. As reported widely in the press, Roger was recently in the hospital for over a month with a serious infection. We assumed he was going to postpone the signing until next year but was informed today he wants to meet early next week.
The Inscription Series – Limited Edition of 99 – $ 250 each
Last year, the signed and inscribed lithographs with Eddy Merckx sold out in a few days. Due to last year’s demand, we have decided to create a special “Inscription Series” for this and all future signings where a rider is willing to indulge us. The Inscription Series will be individually inscribed “To (Name Here)” and signed by Roger De Vlaeminck and numbered to a maximum total edition of 99. When they are sold out, that’s it. Each print comes with a formal Certificate of Authenticity that forever guarantees the provenance of the signature.
Lithograph Size: 20×24 inches
The Image: Roger De Vlaeminck, 1976 Milan-San Remo
Roger De Vlaeminck. Spring Classic. Brooklyn Team Jersey. Perfection.
From the onset, the 1976 edition of Milan-San Remo looks to be a battle for the ages with a peloton stuffed full of sprinters. This shot of De Vlaeminick is of him on the Capo Berta. Resplendent in his legendary Brooklyn jersey, this fantastic photograph perfectly captures the icon that is Roger De Vlaeminck in full flight.
De Vlaeminck is a four-time winner of Paris-Roubaix and one of only three riders to win all five “Monuments of Cycling” (i.e., Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and the Giro di Lombardia)
This was taken by famed Dutch photographer Tonny Strouken. For 30+ years, Tonny was one of the best cycling photographers in the business. His photos have been seen in magazines, books, and newspapers around the world. We are taking it as our mission to make sure cycling fans outside of Europe learn more about Tonny. Tonny’s style harkens back to the 1920s and is updated to reflect the shooting capabilities of contemporary cameras. He was a master at capturing crucial moments in race history. More important, he was one of very few cycling photographers who captured the soul of the rider. We have seen a fair amount of Tonny’s work, and it is breathtaking.
Quality: It’s all about the Press, Paper, and Deboss/Emboss
The Press
This year we were able to talk the print masters at AMP in Dublin California to print this otherwise micro-run on their $4,500,000 Heidelberg Speedmaster press. This is an end of the rainbow press and really expensive to operate. The press itself is about 100 feet in length from where the blank paper enters to where it comes out in all its radiant printed glory.
The Paper
We used 140-pound Mohawk brand paper. This awesome stock has a wonderful toothy feel that reeks of luxury. If the paper were any thicker, we would have to ship the prints flat.
Deboss/Emboss
We had excellent paper, stunning images, and a phenomenal press. We wanted more. We felt we were right at the precipice of perfection but needed to go a little further. At this point, we can’t recall exactly whose idea it was, but when the deboss/emboss idea emerged, we knew that was our missing link. An exorbitantly expensive process that includes multi-stage custom handmade dies, hyper-specialized machinery, and an ocean of patience to execute correctly, this alone is the pièce de résistance that elevated this endeavor to art. Take a look at the additional photos on this page. Essentially, the deboss is a large die that slams the paper precisely on the image line and leaves behind a striking beveled edge.
Embossing is the opposite of debossing. The emboss has the die coming from the bottom and pushes the paper up. We created a unique logo design special for our prints.
The debossed and embossed print has a beautiful finished look, it is ready to go straight into a frame. No mats needed.
Another benefit of this process is the ease of knowing the real product from a fake. Between the paper, the press, and especially the deboss/emboss process, the counterfeiters are going to move on to easier marks. What you will own is something that lies somewhere between extremely unique to absolutely never before seen quality in the cycling world. Can you tell we are proud of these?
BONUS
If you order two or more of any of the signed lithographs, we will include one of our new 18×24 inch Poster Art Series Limited Edition Prints at no charge. ($85 value). Trust us; you will like them. These prints were made at the same time as the De Vlaeminck lithographs using the same paper, press, and deboss/emboss process. Take a flyer. You will not be disappointed. We really do think they are that good. We will have images of the Poster Art Series in the shop next week once we get them back from the printer.
We will ship the lithos on or around December 11, 2019.
SHIPPING: FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE THROUGH DECEMBER 2nd,2019
(Applies to De Vlaeminck Signed Prints only)
Shipping Rates beginning December 3, 2019
United States $10
Canada $30
Europe & Beyond $45
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