Anthropomorphic Tobacco Shaker - Le Militaire Crotteux - System Snuffbox - Folk Art

Second half of the 19th century

France

Rare, unusual and ironic testament to popular barracks art, this anthropomorphic wooden carved tobacco "shaker" depicts a humorous soldier of the French army.

The main face reveals the stern but caricatured face of a soldier of stocky stature, sporting a broad carved moustache, characteristic of troops from the Second Empire or early Third Republic. Wearing his traditional kepi adorned with a red pompom, the figure is depicted with hands clasped over a plump abdomen, camped on small, bent legs in a posture typical of satirical statuary.

The object opens at the cap with a removable wooden tenon stopper system that allowed the reservoir to be filled with snuff. The top of the kepi is pierced by three fine holes allowing tobacco to be sprinkled by shaking the statuette, while a removable wooden peg below the base ensures the system is watertight or locked.

Tobacco consumption, and particularly snuffing, occupied a central place in the daily lives of soldiers and civilians in the 19th century. Pocket shakers were highly personal objects, often fashioned by rural conscripts or craftsmen who competed in ingenuity to disguise the mechanisms of use in anthropomorphic or saucy forms.

The silhouette of a pocket shaker is the result of a combination of two factors.

The grotesque silhouette of this soldier mischievously conveys the rebellious spirit of popular creations, mocking the authority or rigor of garrison life. It is a marvellous illustration of the skills of the turners and woodcarvers of the period, capable of transforming a simple smoker's accessory into a veritable miniature work of art, lively and highly narrative.

Excellent state of preservation. The mechanism is functional, complete with its original small peg. The wood shows a magnificent patina of use, smooth and lustrous with age, preserving a beautiful freshness to the red highlights on the pompom. Note a very discreet wax micro-restoration on one side of the hat.

Dimensions: Height: 13 cm

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