Historical figures , set of 6 polychrome ceramic tobacco jars, depicting famous men: Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Otto von Bismarck, Louis Adolphe Thiers, etc., all marked BB (B. Bloch), h. 25 to 28 cm Wear marks Small chips and missing paintwork Preserving tobacco: an art in itself. This exceptional collection of several hundred tobacco jars (lots 1940 to 1984) comes from one of the world's largest private collections of pipes and tobacco objects, several parts of which have already been offered for sale by Maison Piguet in recent years. Much more than mere containers, these tobacco jars reflect the humour, taste and craftsmanship of their era. From bronze to terracotta, refinement, caricature and satire rub shoulders in forms as varied as they are unexpected...