Antique Tobacco Jars Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Aug 15th 2010 at 6:02PM

These days most tobacco storage devices are fairly quotidian (except for some beautiful expensive humidors) but it wasn't always that way. After returning to the New World, the early European explorers carried tobacco with them. The practice of smoking took off like wildfire. Within fifty years, cultivation and use of the plant had spread from Continental Europe to Asia and Africa and containers for storage also developed quickly. Soon figural tobacco jars in the shapes of animals and people were very popular. At Bonhams & Butterfields Los Angeles, the August 22, 2010 Sunset Estate Auction will include part III of a single-owner Collection of Whimsical European Tobacco Jars. The sale will highlight several lots of unique glazed earthenware and wooden humidors as well as property from a variety of estates and private collections. The lot shown above features eight Continental earthenware tobacco jars of dogs in a variety of shapes. The tallest is 13 3/4 inches and the estimate is $600-$800, not the priciest of collectibles but ones that still have their charm and offer a look at life as it was long ago.

Tags: antiques, collectibles, smoking, tobacco jars