Meerschaum Cigarette Holder with Horses, early 20th century, Prague, Czech Republic. Meerschaum, amber material, carved, injection molded. Dimensions: height 5 cm, length 12 cm. Collection of the National Museum of the Przemyśl Region in Przemyśl. The holder is arched. One end, the so-called mouthpiece, is pointed and made of a yellow amber mass. The other end is made of meerschaum with a non-uniform dark yellow color. Decorated with carving, it ends in a cylindrical chimney with a hole for the cigar. The full-bodied carving depicts two horses facing away from the chimney. They stand side by side, head to head. Unidentified vegetation lies beneath their feet. The chimney widens at the end and has a charred opening. These types of cigarette holders, featuring silhouettes of horses or hunting dogs, constitute the largest group in the museum’s collection. Performed primarily in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they were most popular in the late 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century.
Meerschaum Cigarette Holder with Horses
