Good Pair of Circa 1900 Blue & White Pottery Tobacco Jars

A handsome and highly decorative pair of blue and white pottery tobacco jars, circa 1900, inscribed “PORTORICO” and “HAVANA”, each with a distinctive stepped metal cover surmounted by a turned finial.

Of generous baluster form, the jars are decorated in rich cobalt blue against a softly coloured pale blue ground. Elaborate floral sprays, scrolling foliage and ornamental motifs frame large central cartouches, one inscribed PORTORICO and the other HAVANA, identifying two of the great historic tobacco-producing regions of the Caribbean.

Puerto Rico and Cuba were both important sources of tobacco for the international trade, with Havana in particular becoming synonymous with fine Cuban tobacco and cigar production. The inscriptions would originally have distinguished the varieties or origins of tobacco stored within, while the imposing scale and richly worked decoration made jars of this type an attractive feature of a tobacconist’s shop interior.

The decoration is particularly effective, combining freely painted floral and foliate ornament with areas of intricate geometric pattern. The pale blue ground gives the pair a softer appearance than the more familiar blue-on-white examples, while the tall, stepped covers provide an unusual and strongly architectural silhouette.

The jars display the characteristic surface variations, crazing and signs of use associated with glazed pottery of this type and period. Each bears a small painted mark to the underside, illustrated in the accompanying photograph.

Price

£850

Reference number

22170

Origin

Late 19th/Early 20th Century Circa 1900

Measurements

36.5cm approximately (high) x 25.5cm high (without lids) x 14cm diameter (bases)

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