The American Vic Seixas was the first champion to show the world, in 1953, the Conde de Godó Tennis Trophy. A magnificent goldsmith work loaded with symbolism and secrets in the form of silver details. Carlos Godó Valls, Count of Godó, decided that the cup that bore his name should have a great personality and a powerful image in keeping with a top international competition and one of the best clubs in world tennis, RCT Barcelona.
This symbol of victory, in neoclassical style, continues to be one of the best trophies in the world, ahead of other historic ones such as the US Open cup, signed by Tiffany
Jorge Soler-Cabot was the craftsman chosen to make the trophy. The Count of Godó had no doubts about it, because in addition to being a great goldsmith, tennis flowed through Soler-Cabot's veins, so much so that he became president of the RCT Barcelona between 1972 and 1976. The jeweler traveled throughout Europe and the United States for inspiration and in 1952 he had already made the first sketch of what would be a spectacular trophy. We reveal the secrets of this neoclassical-style jewel by Carlos Soler-Cabot, the sixth generation of this family of jewelers, and Maria Domènech, an expert in the appraisal of jewellery, coins and watches in this historic establishment.
The lid is surmounted by a tennis player executing a volley. It is 14 centimeters tall. The player who served as inspiration was the American tennis player Ellsworth Vines, recognized worldwide for his great playing style. With this decision, Jorge Soler-Cabot turned the Conde de Godó trophy into the first to feature the figure of a tennis player.
The central body, reminiscent of ancient Roman cups, is decorated with stylized acanthus leaves, chiselled segments and spheres worked by hand. The center also displays the emblem of the county crown and the name of the award: Conde de Godó trophy, with a typeface inspired by plants. The letters are made one by one and superimposed on the silver plate.
The base, made of American oak wood and silver, has another two handles decorated with acanthus leaves and four scallops. The scallop shell has been a very popular motif in art and architecture since the Renaissance. On this base we also find four eagles that symbolize majesty and power, and raise the trophy to heaven. The lower part shows off ten plates made of silver where the names of the tournament winners are engraved by hand. There are nine names on each plaque and there are two left to fill in plus a plaque that has already begun and on which the name of the winner of this 70th edition will appear.
The player, the large and small handles, as well as the eagles that surround it were worked in the foundry. The American oak base weighed about three kilos, and the letters that mention the Conde de Godó Trophy in capital letters, as well as the year of its creation, 1953, and the county crown were made one by one and are superimposed on the silver plate.
Both on the obverse and on the reverse of the trophy is the shield of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona made in silver and basse-taille enamel.
The jewelry workshop used 800 hours in the manufacturing process. For three months he was practically 100 percent dedicated to creating the trophy, an awful lot of time when you consider that Tiffany
Given the weight (10.90 kilos) and the volume of the Conde de Godó trophy, which measures 71 centimeters and has a diameter of 55 cm, the handles and other joining areas had to be reinforced to prevent swaying. The soul that runs through the entire interior through the center of the cup to reinforce it is also made of silver and its end, visible if the cup is turned upside down, is also chiseled.
In 2012 the plaques were redistributed to gain space and in 2017 the Soler-Cabot jewelry store redid the base, which had been modified a few years earlier, and rebuilt it recovering a single base, as in the original trophy.
The jewelery that made the trophy was born in 1842, by the hand of Francesc Cabot, specialized in creating objects for religious worship and jewelery and now with its own office in the Antwerp Diamond Stock Exchange. Every year the descendants of its creator polish the trophy to get it ready before the competition. If you have to do any retouching in the chiseling, they continue to use the original tools, such as the hammer, the hammer or the spikes. Same as for making replicas.
In its intricate design, the Conde de Godó trophy still holds secrets, such as what jewelers call a punch, which is the house's signature. Each one has its distinctive. In the case of Soler Cabot, it is a clover and it literally hides between the leaves and the chiseled spheres in this unique piece of goldsmithing.
