A large tobacco jar made of glossy white plaster depicting a - Lot 183

A large tobacco jar made of glossy white plaster depicting a skull, the base of which rests on a closed book bearing the inscription “Hell” on its spine. It features a handle like that of a drinking mug and a lid with a small skull as its knob. This object has neither the aesthetic nor the symbolic value of the following three jars, but it shows us—if proof were needed—just how “matter-of-fact” the depiction of death was for our close ancestors. Date: late 20th century No mark. H 12 cm A small tobacco jar depicting a grinning skull that stares at us with its dried-out eyes, which can be glimpsed at the back of its eye sockets. What is striking here is not so much the quality of the sculpture or the anatomical accuracy of the skull’s structure as—as is always the case with Johann Maresch—the extraordinary expressiveness of the rendering. While the two following depictions show death in its grim reality (fig. 261) or in its hieratic mystery (fig. 262), here, certain of its ultimate victory, death clearly mocks us—the very transient living beings that we are. White-glazed terracotta, late 19th century Marked on the base “JM” followed by an asterisk for Johann Maresch and an engraved number, 3366; on the underside of the lid, “M3”—possibly the maker’s mark. H 17.5 cm A skull-shaped tobacco jar whose lower jaw has been replaced by a book—perhaps a Bible—painted red and glazed, as are the prominent white teeth. On top of the skull, a lizard—a reptile commonly found in cemeteries—serves as a handle. Partially glazed painted bisque, 20th century Marked “Foreign” on the base, suggesting an English origin. Broken lid. Height: 15 cm