Engel oranges, Spain.
Title: ENGEL
This poster was made to be stuck on wooden boxes of oranges for export outside of Spain, there were many companies dedicated to export this fruit in Valencia, including this one.
On the other side, the history of orange cultivation occurred 4,000 years ago in southern China, and from there it spread throughout the East. However, it was in the 10th century when the Arabs introduced the bitter orange tree in Spain, as a tree appreciated for its beauty and aroma. Later, in 1781, a priest from Valencia who was fond of gardening obtained the first orange tree with edible and sweet fruit through grafts, creating the first orange orchard in the Valencian Community and obtaining the first economic benefits. As a curiosity, it is noteworthy that the success of this fruit coincided with the decline of the silk industry, which meant that many mulberry trees (silk trees) were felled and the land was used for planting orange trees. In this way, the cultivation of oranges spread throughout the Mediterranean coast, making Valencia a prosperous and predominant region in this product.
Personal information:
I realised walking in London that the restaurant chain “LEON” copied its logo from “ENGEL” oranges (see last picture).
Printed in the 60's
Size : 26x28cm
Material: paper
Made in Valencia, Spain
Condition: as seen on the picture/s.
This is not a recent issue, replica or tourist souvenir.
If you are interested in Soviet posters, I have one of the largest collections of original Soviet posters on Ebay at the following link:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/original_soviet_posters
About me:
My name is Ruben Rocha, and I'm a collector of original vintage posters.
Art has been a fundamental part of my life from a very young age. In fact, my first taste of art selling began at the age of 10, when I lived across the street from a fine arts school, a place where creativity flourished and works of art were born daily. However, what really captured my attention were the leftovers discarded by the students...
Sifting through the rubbish outside the fine arts school (that still exists and is called "Escola De Artes Pablo Picasso" in A Coruna, Spain) was very exciting, and every time I found a sculpture, painting or any kind of work that I considered interesting, I felt a kind of euphoria. After collecting a sufficient amount of "treasures", I decided to set up a small stand on the street, where I sold my finds to my neighbours. The excitement of selling something I had rescued was indescribable. Unfortunately for me, my transactions did not always end as I expected, and every time my mother noticed me selling my wares, she would drag me by the ears and force me to pay back my neighbours, which, in hindsight, was my first lesson in ethics and responsibility as well.
As the years went by, my relationship with art evolved. I moved to London, a place full of culture, history, and of course, art. There, my love for buying original vintage posters was awakened. I began collecting posters from all over the world, but developed a special interest in those that came from the USSR and my home country of Spain. The visual narrative of these posters, their vibrant colours, and their ability to tell stories captivated me. Buying and selling art became a way of life for me, a way to connect with history and human emotions. Each poster I bought was not just a decorative piece, but a fragment of an era, a representation of a cultural context that I wanted to preserve and share. And in this way, my experience in the art world has become a journey full of discoveries, learnings and nostalgic moments, from my childhood days to my adult life in one of the most artistic cities in the world.
My journey in selling art has been unexpected and enriching, and has taught me that each work has a value beyond its price; it represents a moment, a story and, most importantly, a connection to the past.
