Signed Sascha Brastoff Mid-Century Cigarette Box

Description

This is a beautiful, mid-century cigarette box that is signed “SASCHAB” for Sascha Brastoff. This heavy decorative box with separate lid would look amazing perched atop a stack of books in your living room, as a catchall on your bedside table. Of course, you could always use it as intended for cigarettes or fill it with matches and set it on your wine bar since it has a beautiful grape design on the top.

This box appears to be an enamel-fused handpainted metal (or it could be a ceramic, but he’s known as an enamel on metal artist). The lid is a bit larger than the box (forming a lip) and has”raised” grapes which add depth and interest to the piece.

Product Details:

• Signed on the Lid, “SASCHAB”
• Lustrous Green and Gold enameled Design
• The inside of the box has two small chips; there is one chip on the inside of the lid.
• The outside of both the lid and box are in great condition.

About Sascha Brastoff

Sascha Brastoff was born October 23, 1918, and he passed away February 4, 1993. He was an iconic mid-century designer who had a ceramic studio In Los Angeles, CA. He was active in the area from 1947 to 1963, when he left his company due to ill health. Sascha Brastoff was known for his talent and ability in many fields of art, both performing and visual, both fine art and fine craft. He was also an enamel on metal artist, however that was just a small part of his output.

The grandson of John D. Rockefeller, Winthrope B. Rockefeller, took interest in Sascha’s work and he began an association with Rockefeller as financial backer and social circle promoter. With Rockefeller’s support he moved into a much larger facility on Compton Avenue in South Los Angeles. However, after only a few months of doing business in this facility burned down. With Rockefeller’s continued financial support he opened a much larger, state-of-the-art factory and studio designed by architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons on West Olympic Blvd. in West Los Angeles in 1953. It had 35,000 square feet of floor space and the half million dollar facility covered a city block. During the grand opening Hollywood celebrities such as Edward G. Robinson , Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Mitzi Gaynor made it the party of the year.

By the late 1950’s the company employed more than one hundred pottery workers. Many Hollywood stars were among his customers including Joan Crawford and Donna Reid. It is said that Joan Crawford bought an ashtray and stated in a letter to Sascha that she would not let anyone get near the ashtray with a cigarette as she considered it a work of art.

From 1940 Until 1962 studio pieces executed by Brastoff were usually signed Sascha Brastoff with or without a date. From 1947 to 1953 the signature Sascha B. was hand painted on the front of the design, usually at the bottom. These were painted by his staff.