19th-century stoneware - Lot 184

19th-century stoneware An extraordinary tobacco jar depicting a human skull with empty eye sockets and a toothless jaw, which further enhances its authentic appearance. For what strikes one first here is the perfect anatomical precision, with the highly aesthetic dolichocephaly and the positioning of the sutures between the various bones—the frontal, occipital, two temporal, and two parietal bones. A lizard runs along the left temporal bone, and on the top of the skull, a toad—crouching and ready to leap—serves as a handle. This snuff bottle raises several questions: - First of all, the significance of this toad, which appears in the same spot but is more finely carved on the next bottle, which is from the Far East. Perhaps simply because, like lizards (jar 338) and other reptiles, it is a common sight in cemeteries. Perhaps also because, among the Indians, it is the emblem of the rain god Tlaloc, who, when he puffed on his pipe, caused the sky to fill with clouds, thunder to rumble, and lightning—of which he was the son—to strike. It also appears on Austrian ex-votos placed near statues of patron saints to thank them for warding off ghosts. Not to mention the toad of Argos... - Then there’s the question of who such an object was intended for: a clergyman? A philosopher? Perhaps as a memento mori to better remind one that “You are dust, and to dust you shall return”? Perhaps it was a gift from grateful students to a scientist—an anatomy professor, for example? Or did it belong to a career soldier who would not hesitate to sacrifice his life for his prince or his country; the skull was indeed the emblem of certain Spanish and Saxon regiments. We also know that many pipe bowls are reproductions of skulls, objects of a veritable cult in certain German or Austrian provinces. It is entirely possible that this snuffbox reflects this trend. - Finally, given the absence of a mark, the question arises as to the provenance of this snuffbox and the workshop where it was made. Given its exceptionally high quality of craftsmanship, it must have been made by a professional—a sculptor, for example—who created this single tobacco jar either on commission or for himself and did not deem it necessary to sign it. It could also be an exceptional piece produced in a factory. Which one? Is it the famous Dickens and Weller skull that no one has ever seen? Is it an English piece, as an expert told me? Or a piece from the Beauvais region? I would lean more toward a German origin, where skulls are part of folklore. Johann Maresch illustrated the previous tobacco jar in this style—made of white, barely glazed terracotta—and the quality of this piece’s craftsmanship could be an argument in favor of that workshop. In the Horowitz catalog, listed under number 81 as a “BB,” there is also a skull in the same style and color as this one, but topped with a sailor’s cap. Lid restored with plaster. H 17.5 cm