Ashtray (3) - Leather, Glass

Set of cigar ashtrays and a cylindrical leather container.

Attributed to Jacques Adnet, France, mid-20th century.

Historical framework and attribution

This set of smoking objects is attributed to the French designer Jacques Adnet, a prominent figure in 20th-century design known for introducing leather as a key material in furniture and luxury accessories.
The set includes three salt shakers and a vertical cylindrical container, designed as coordinated elements of a single table service.

The sober yet refined aesthetic, combined with the quality of craftsmanship, places the entire piece within the context of mid-century French design, balancing modernism and artisanal tradition.

Materials and technique

All elements are covered in natural leather, molded and stretched over an internal rigid structure.
The leather features a slightly textured surface, with controlled folds and a deliberately uneven material appearance, a distinctive trait of Adnet's poetic approach, which favored the lively character of the material over an excessively perfect finish.

The posaceneri are equipped with internal glass trays, while the cylindrical container is entirely lined with leather and lacks glass inserts, confirming its function as a service object.

I posaceneri

The three ashtrays are distinguished by different shapes but harmoniously consistent.

a circular plan, compact and balanced

a quadrangular plan shape with rounded corners

a design with a broader base and a lowered body, emphasizing stability and presence.

Glass trays create a refined contrast between shine and opacity, enhancing the skin without overpowering it.
These elements are not merely functional objects, but small table architectures designed for cultured and representative environments.

The cylindrical container

The cylindrical element, often mistaken for a glass, is actually a table container, probably intended to hold cigarettes or matches.
Its verticality introduces a formal rhythm that balances the horizontal masses of the ashtrays, completing the set in an organic way.

The absence of internal glass definitively clarifies its non-liquid function and reinforces the role of the skin as the sole material protagonist.

Condition of preservation

The set is in good overall condition.
It is only reported that an accidental label was applied to the cylindrical container and subsequently removed, which caused a minor superficial color loss on the leather at a localized point.

This slight alteration.

It concerns only the cylindrical container.

Not interested in cigarette butts.

It does not compromise the structure, the function, or the overall aesthetics of the object.

The presence of such a mark does not detract from the overall beauty but fits into the natural patina of time, bearing witness to the life and authenticity of the object.

Critical conclusion

This set represents a significant example of the sober and intellectual luxury promoted by Jacques Adnet, where leather becomes language, surface, and identity.
The objects maintain an intact expressive strength and an elegant presence, capable of engaging with contemporary environments as well as historic interiors.

They are not just simple smoking accessories, but collectible design objects, carriers of a precise and timeless vision.

Measures

Square low ashtray: 16cm L/W, 5.2cm H.
High ashtray: 10.5 cm, H 14 cm L/W.
Glass: 9cm L/W, 11cm H.

Accurate and traceable shipping.