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Author Topic: Stylized ash tray  (Read 2782 times)

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Offline butchiedog

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Stylized ash tray
« on: November 10, 2006, 01:28:19 PM »
Hello,

I'm trying to help a friend with this item.

I know it is an ash tray, but I'm trying to figure out the origin, name and use of the item it is fashioned after.

http://i14.tinypic.com/2jdjjaw.jpg

Thank you for any enlightenment. --- Mike

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Offline Pat

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2006, 04:44:28 PM »
Looks like it's fashioned after an old greek or roman urn to me
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Offline butchiedog

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2006, 11:07:16 PM »
Hi Pat,

Greek or Roman huh?  I was thinking more along the line of Chinese or Japanese, but not as an urn. I seem to recall seeing one of these somewhere, which had pour spouts were the indentations for cigarettes are  and it was set on the handles in a frame, in such a manner that allowed it to be tipped in order to pour whatever out of it.
A few guesses I am toying with is a water bucket of some sort, the base to a mortar & pestle set or some sort of crucible for smelting a metal in, but that's likely my imagination or I'm confusing it with something similar.

Maybe all of that might jog someone's memory. I'm trying to come up with a name to give it besides ash tray. --- Mike

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Offline Max

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2006, 11:40:53 PM »
Hi Mike

I was thinking along the lines of an ice bucket or something.  You don't give the dimensions, but I'm assuming it's pretty small though?  The indentations don't seem right for cigarettes do they?  They're sloping downwards, which seems a bit odd.

It's an interesting pressed piece, the pink colour is peculiar too...I'm having trouble thinking of a country of origin, let alone maker!
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Offline Ivo

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2006, 06:46:32 AM »
This may be a silly question - but any scribbles on the bottom? Anything that looks like Chinese script? To me it looks like an incense vessel from The Grand in Taiwan, done in either pâte-de-verre or cast glass, their specialities. What say you, Max?

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Offline Max

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2006, 10:08:55 AM »
Now you say it, I think it is a possibility Ivo. I always forget about Grand Crystal.  :roll:   It's the odd combination of modern, ancient, and purpose that makes me think you could be right.  Maybe based on an incense burner, as you suggest.

Not quite sure how to follow it up - let's hope Mike finds some ideograms on the base.   :D

Edit: It's surprisingly hard to find respresentations of Heinrich Wang's, Grand Crystal Co. Taiwan products.  I haven't really had any luck.

Liuligongfang however, can be found at:
http://www.liuli.com/E_index01.htm
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Offline butchiedog

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2006, 02:19:02 PM »
Good day all,

Thanks for looking at this piece and all of the suggestions. The bottom is blank and we're really only interested in whatever the design\shape of this item is mimicking, not so much the maker and age of it. I have also seen similar looking brass incense burners from the 60s-70s, which looked Chinese, but were made in India and I believe those were also just mimicking the design of something else. --- Mike

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Offline Adam

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2006, 02:52:27 PM »
In the 1930s my father, a heavy smoker, had a huge, metal ash tray.  This consisted of a very heavy metal base, maybe 12" diameter, into the top of which was screwed a vertical tube 2" diameter and maybe 30" long.  At the top this belled out into a thing with cigarette grooves, carrying handle etc.  The whole thing sat on the floor and the top was around waist high.  This monster could hold months of debris in the bottom without too much smell coming out of the top!

The trunnions on the side of the present article immediately reminded me of this.  Could it be from something similar - tilt to empty down the tube?

Many ash trays had the grooves inclined inwards, presumably so that fires would hopefully start inside the tray rather than outside.

Just a thought

Adam D.

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Offline butchiedog

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2006, 03:14:24 PM »
Hi Adam,

I remember my grandparents having a floor standing ash tray like you describe. The ash tray above I doubt is that old, the pink color is too queer for that era I think and there is no wear on those trunnions\handles? or on the thin, raised mold seam which runs right down the middle of them. --- Mike

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Offline butchiedog

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Stylized ash tray
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2006, 10:26:30 PM »
Adam,

Thank you for saying "trunnions" :-) I now know what the heck that shape is reminding me of. it's a mortar or small Chinese cannon, stylized a bit for it's intended use as an ashtray.  --- Mike

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