Figural Tobacco Jar

Artist/Maker: Bernhard Bloch (B. Bloch & Co.)
Origin: Eichwald, Bohemia (now Dubí, Czech Republic)
Date: c. 1880–1900

This item is an antique figural tobacco jar (humidor) crafted in the late 19th century by the renowned Austrian ceramic manufacturer Bernhard Bloch (Eichwald, Bohemia). The piece is a two-part ceramic vessel featuring a bust of a smiling young boy wearing “Sunday Finery,” including a white collared shirt and a vibrant light blue bow tie. The removable lid is skillfully modeled as a straw boater hat with a black ribbon band, a design element typical of Bernhard Bloch’s highly collectible figural work from the 1880s and 1890s.

The jar is made of polychrome terra cotta or majolica, a type of earthenware decorated with colored lead glazes. The interior was often left unglazed or roughly finished to hold moisture, which helped keep the tobacco inside from drying out. Some versions of these lids featured a recessed area on the interior intended to hold a small sponge for extra humidification.