{"product_id":"cigarette-box-and-nesting-ashtray-set-ribbed-white-ceramic-with-applied-roses-c-1930-1950","title":"Cigarette Box and Nesting Ashtray Set, Ribbed White Ceramic with Applied Roses, c. 1930-1950","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA two-part smoking set in creamy white glazed ceramic, designed as a single object: a lidded box at one end for cigarettes, and an open well at the other holding a removable ashtray that lifts out on molded tabs. Slide the tray free and the tabs form little rests along the rim — a small piece of engineering solved with nothing but clay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe box is wrapped on all four sides in tight vertical ribbing that reads like a pleated screen, and the lid rises from that into a radiating sunburst of molded rays. At the center sits a hand-applied bouquet: a full-blown rose, a trumpet blossom, and a scatter of leaves and buds, each petal pressed and attached by hand before firing, so no two examples are identical.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe whole surface carries a dense allover craquelure — a fine web of crazing that covers every panel and has developed over decades into something closer to a texture than a flaw. The ashtray well shows a soft amber bloom at its center from a working life of actual use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe smoking set was once standard equipment in an American living room. Through the 1940s and 1950s, when smoking indoors was simply what people did, a matched box and tray sat on the coffee table of nearly every home that entertained — and manufacturers competed to make them decorative rather than merely functional. Ribbed and fluted bodies, molded sunbursts, and hand-applied porcelain flowers were the vocabulary of the moment, drawn from the tail end of Art Deco geometry crossed with the romantic floral revival that followed the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApplied floral work is the detail that separates the better examples. Each blossom was formed by hand from soft clay and attached before glazing, which is slow, skilled, expensive work, and it is why these pieces survive as decorative objects long after their original purpose disappeared. This set carries no visible maker's mark, which is typical — giftware ceramics of the period were identified by a paper label at the point of sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"8\" cellspacing=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003eField\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003eDetail\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCigarette box with nesting ashtray\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJapan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRectangular ribbed case with a lidded compartment at one end and an open well at the other holding a removable ashtray with molded rests; sunburst lid with applied floral bouquet\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGlazed ceramic in a warm ivory-white with hand-applied modeled flowers and leaves\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo visible maker's mark; originally paper-labeled, as giftware of the period typically was\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ec. 1930-50s\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGood with genuine age and honest use. Dense allover crazing across every surface, consistent with a glaze of this date. Amber tobacco staining to the center of the ashtray well from its working life. Minor nicks and small losses to the tips of the applied flowers and leaves — the most fragile points on a piece like this — and light edge wear to the base. No cracks; the lid seats correctly and the tray lifts and returns cleanly. Sold as found. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNobody needs a cigarette box, which is exactly why this one is useful. The lidded compartment is the right size for matches, playing cards, guitar picks, hair ties, paper clips, or the small things that otherwise live loose in a drawer, and the tray lifts out to hold rings, keys, or cufflinks on a nightstand. On a bar cart it becomes a spot for stir sticks and a place to set a lime. The ivory glaze and crazed surface sit naturally with brass, walnut, marble, and warm paint, and the sculptural lid means it earns its place even doing nothing at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is also a genuinely good piece of period design — the kind of object people pick up and turn over. A note on care: crazed glaze is porous, so keep it dry, wipe with a barely damp cloth rather than washing, and never soak it or put it in the dishwasher, which drives moisture into the crazing and darkens the lines permanently. Handle the lid by its edges rather than the flowers; applied petals are the first thing to go.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48006451757161,"sku":null,"price":198.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/IMG_3452.jpg?v=1788828238","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/cigarette-box-and-nesting-ashtray-set-ribbed-white-ceramic-with-applied-roses-c-1930-1950","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}