Figural Tobacco Jar

Artist: Bernhard Bloch (Austrian/Bohemian, 1836–1909)
Date: c. 1880–1910
Medium: Cold-painted terra cotta (earthenware)
Dimensions: 5.5 inches (Height) x 4 inches (Width/Depth)

This item is a late 19th-century figural tobacco jar, or humidor, featuring a bust of a smiling young boy. Crafted by the prominent manufacturer Bernhard Bloch in Eichwald, Bohemia, this specific model is a more compact “cabinet size” version of their popular figural series. The piece is a two-part ceramic vessel where the lid is skillfully modeled as a brown textured cap. Bloch’s artisans utilized a “cold-painting” technique, applying oil-based pigments to the terra cotta after the firing process. This allowed for a highly realistic, matte finish and subtle transitions in skin tone that are not possible with traditional heat-fired glazes. These humidors were highly fashionable in Victorian and Edwardian smoking rooms, designed to hold pipe tobacco while serving as a decorative conversation piece.