Thursday, April 29, 2010

les cendriers drôles

these unusual advertising ashtrays were collected by Monsieur L because he found their forms amusing and relatively rare to come across...

"PICON"
ceramic; mid-20th C.
17-17.5 cm in diameter [top] x 10.5-11.5 cm in diameter [base]
x 4-7.5 cm in height

CAD/US$200/140 Euros

the round mark on the base indicates::
"FAIENCE D'ART PROCERAM AUBAGNE EN PROVENCE
MADE IN FRANCE 72"

*PICON is an orange based apéritif liquor created by Gaetan PICON in 1837 in Marseille. It is a popular bitters for accompanying beer in the northern and eastern regions of France.

*****

"CYNAR"
this adorable artichoke-shaped piece is the CYNAR brand of Italian digestif bitters concocted from artichoke and 13 other herbs [this after-dinner apéritif was created in 1952 and the brand has since been acquired by the CAMPARI group]
ceramic; mid-20th C.
6 cm in diameter [top] x 7 cm in diameter [base]
x 10 cm in height
[no marks on the base]

CAD/US$150/100 Euros
*****

"LES FILS CHARVET"
an elegant and classic cream and gold cendrier with a perfectly rendered lump of coal!
ceramic; mid-20th C., maybe earlier?;
found in the Marché Vernaison at the Saint-Ouen flea market, Paris
17 cm in diameter [top] x 8 cm in diameter [base]
x 5 cm in height

CAD/US$250/170 Euros

I have to presume that LES FILS CHARVET was a coal company somewhere in France!
[I have googled the name but haven't found much information so far, but I will do more research and post that later.]

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

les cendriers sans cendres


I just found a box of vintage ceramic ashtrays that I had forgotten about!
I don't smoke and have no use for these items as their original function, but once in a while at a brocante I would pick one up that appealed to me aesthetically, and so would Monsieur L... 
Over the years they have added up to a small collection of under-appreciated accoutrements, but I do still find them very charming and very french!... and cleaned up, they can be used to hold small trinkets and trifles instead...

"MORIN PERE & FILS
Au Coeur de la Bourgogne"
mid-20th C.
13 x 13 x 2.5 cm [h] 

CAD/US$100/70 Euros

Maison MORIN Père et Fils was established in 1822 in Nuits-Saint-Georges, in the heart of Burgundy, and is renowned for its Marc de Bourgogne.

*****

"PERNOD 51  PERNOD 45
Pernod Fils"
mid-20th C.; found at the Chatou brocante fair
15 cm diameter x 1.5 cm [h]

CAD/US$150/100 Euros

[the mark on the base is somewhat worn off, but I can make out "...Malesherbes PARIS (8e)"]
PERNOD Fils was founded in 1805 and is the oldest brand of anise spirits in France.

*****

"TOURING CLUB DE FRANCE"
mid-20th C.
13 x 15 cm x 2.5 cm [h]
CAD/US$200/140 Euros

The TOURING CLUB DE FRANCE was an association founded in 1890 in Neuilly-sur-Seine dedicated to tourism in France by developing and identifying more travel routes, bicycle paths, traffic signals, road signs, tourist facilities and campgrounds. It is no longer extant since 1983.