Tobacco jar - Wood

Carved tobacco pot – “The Blacksmith and the Soldier” – Popular art – Military decor – Curiosity
Second half of the 19th century

France – Auvergne – Massif central – Haute-Loire

Tobacco pot entirely monoxyl, carved from a single block of wood, uniting the symbols of work, faith and war in a dense and vigorous composition.

The lid, adorned with a lush relief of fruits — some of which are pierced — and foliage, embodies abundance and prosperity. The body of the pot displays a particularly rich iconography: crossed cannons, sword, percussion revolver, anvil, hammer, anchor, pattee cross and a helmeted figure. The latter, wearing a plume helmet and stylized armor, evokes a heroic soldier, perhaps inspired by the Imperial guard or the knights of the First Empire, according to the popular imagination of the late 19th century.

Through the joint presence of the anvil and the weapons, the sculpture celebrates both the blacksmith and the soldier — two essential figures of courage and labor — united by the same relation to matter and effort. This alliance of iron and fire, of combat and creation, sums up an entire facet of Auvergnat rural symbolism.

The quadruped pedestal, carved in one piece, gives the whole an organic and powerful, almost animal, footing. The brown patina, satin and deep, reveals long use and timeless presence.

Condition: old patina, slight wear consistent with the whole, sculpture stable and homogeneous.

Dimensions :

Height (with lid): 37 cm

Delivery :

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