A tobacco jar whose body—made of sky-blue porcelain and deco - Lot 241

A tobacco jar whose body—made of sky-blue porcelain and decorated with finely drawn pink branches and flowers—is shaped like a cup resting on a saucer, which features a compartment for unused matches and a tray for used matches. A coat of arms, made of bisque porcelain on the front of the jar, serves as a scraper. In its upper third, there is an eight-hole pipe holder in midnight blue with a gold border. As for the lid, it is the same as the one in Fig. 61: a musketeer with his arms crossed, wearing a hollowed-out hat with large pink and blue feathers, which serves as a match holder. We know that the lid and the body are not part of the same set; this object was therefore reassembled by its user, and the imperfect seal is compensated for by a small compartment inside the jar where a humidifying sponge could be inserted. This “DIY” modification demonstrates not only the smoker’s ingenuity but also his aesthetic sensibility, as the bowl and lid complement each other perfectly. Late 19th-century porcelain No mark. Possibly from the Conta and Böhme factory. Minor chips. Height: 22 cm