Fine 19th Century French Faience Blue & White Ceramic Tobacco Jar, ‘Tabac’
£1,450.00
Description
This is an exceptional mid-to-late 19th-century antique French faience (tin-glazed earthenware) tobacco jar, beautifully decorated in the traditional tin-glaze blue and white palette. Sourced from France and designed in a classic, heavy-set barrel form, this historic vessel features the hand-painted inscription ‘Tabac’ set within an ornate, scrolling rococo cartouche.
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Fine 19th Century French Faience Blue & White Ceramic Tobacco Jar, ‘Tabac’
This is an exceptional mid-to-late 19th-century antique French faience (tin-glazed earthenware) tobacco jar, beautifully decorated in the traditional tin-glaze blue and white palette. Sourced from France and designed in a classic, heavy-set barrel form, this historic vessel features the hand-painted inscription ‘Tabac’ set within an ornate, scrolling rococo cartouche.
The jar represents the peak of French commercial and apothecary ceramics from famed regional production centers like Rouen or Nevers, which specialised in producing functional yet highly decorative shop counter jars. The artisan has masterfully applied a rich cobalt blue underglaze decoration against a milky, tin-glazed ground. The stylized flourishes surrounding the central text echo 18th-century earthenware designs, making it a highly decorative crossover piece that effortlessly bridges historic advertising, apothecary history, and fine ceramic craft.
History, Provenance & Origin
Subject / Inscription: Tabac (French for Tobacco)
Period: 19th Century (Circa 1860–1880)
Origin: France (Stylistically characteristic of the historic earthenware kilns of Rouen, Desvres, or Nevers)
Medium: Tin-glazed earthenware / Faience
Form: Traditional lidless display barrel form, historically used for dry shop counter presentation or apothecary shelving.
Dealer’s Comments
"There is something incredibly honest and satisfying about French country faience. This 'Tabac' jar has a wonderful, sculptural presence on a shelf. Counter jars of this scale and clarity are getting incredibly hard to find intact because they were genuine working pieces in 19th-century French shops—handling daily use by merchants and customers alike. The cobalt blue has that beautiful, slightly bled underglaze quality that gives authentic tin-glaze its unmistakable depth. For interior designers seeking to inject immediate warmth and a sense of history into a kitchen, a library, or a rustic mantle presentation, this piece provides that perfect 'found object' texture that defines high-end country house design."
Condition Report
This ceramic jar is in excellent antique condition for a functional 19th-century earthenware piece. The glaze retains a brilliant, glassy shine with no major structural cracks, hairlines, or significant losses to the main body. In keeping with authentic period tin-glazed earthenware, there is negligible, light age-appropriate chipping and historic glaze skimming around the upper rim and base foot ring, which merely confirms its age and utilitarian history. The interior is clean, stable, and completely fit for display.
Measurements
Height: 43 cm / 16.9 inch
Width: 24 cm / 9.4 inch
Depth: 24 cm / 9.4 inch
Weight: 4.2 k.g. / 9.3 lbs
Height witout brass lid - 28cm
Opening width - 13cm
Cleaning, Polishing & Restoration
All our collections have been through our workshop and where possible, we always try to maintain the original finish preserving the patina and colour, some items are sympathetically restored and this is done by our own skilled craftsmen using only traditional methods
