No reserve price - Cigarette dispenser - Wood

Antique cigarette case/roll-top French wooden box – Tours-sur-Marne – circa 1900/1930

Description

Elegant French wooden cigarette case/box with figurative decoration and indication of the locality of Tours-sur-Marne, in the Marne region, Champagne.

The piece features a special multi-level opening structure, with interior compartments shaped and grooved for the storage of cigarettes.

The lid is characterized by a refined bucolic-riverine scene depicting figures in late 19th-century-style clothing, horses and characters in a rural landscape crossed by water. The scene is framed by a decoration comprising small circular elements and ornamental metal appliqués at the corners.

On the front there is the inscription “TOURS SUR MARNE,” applied separately from the main decoration and interpretable as an indication of the locality for which the piece was intended as a souvenir.

Tours-sur-Marne is a historic locality in the Marne, characterized by the river and the canal; local archives preserve photographic documentation and postcards of the town dating back to the early 20th century.

The construction, hardware, hinge, cutting screws, and decorative technique are compatible with production from the first part of the 20th century, circa 1900–1930.

The piece shows a beautiful patina of time and normal signs of use and conservation consistent with its age.

Closed dimensions: about 17 × 13 × 7 cm.
Open dimensions: about 18 cm in depth × 13 cm in height.

Condition: good, with normal signs of time and use. No restoration work. Mechanism perfectly fluid.

An interesting collectible item that combines French wood craftsmanship, 19th-century aesthetic iconography, and local memory of Tours-sur-Marne.