1950's Brass Patinated Bird Bowl Ashtray Catch it All
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in San Diego, CA
Whimsical patinated sold brass bird ashtray circa 1950's great piece original finish, can be used as catch it all.a must for mid century Danish modern home decor.
Brass
Set of 6 Vintage Hedgehog Ashtray / Bowls in Metal, Mid-century
By Walter Bosse, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Malmö, SE
A complete set of six stackable midcentury hedgehog ashtrays / bowls in metal. Good original condition. Some scuffs and scratches.
Metal, Zinc
1970s Patinated Brass Ashtray Table Sculpture Mid-Century American Design
By Arnaldo Pomodoro, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Similar to the ubiquitous Art Deco black bakelite ashtrays designs prevalent in American Diners and Bowling Alleys of the early Twentieth Century. The bottom is rounded like a coco...
Brass
Once a near-universal tabletop accessory, many antique, new and vintage ashtrays have taken on an entirely new purpose in today’s homes.
Whereas these formerly ubiquitous objects were associated with smoking, drinking, gambling and other vices, a well-designed and interesting ashtray is a candy dish, coaster or cocktail garnish receptacle in today’s interiors. But don’t discount its initial function. Amid your carefully curated coastal chic California decor, for example, a stone ashtray can help you manage the ashes that accumulate while you’re burning your morning incense. Old glass ashtrays, which are quite popular and easily found in free-form, organic shapes, can be a purely decorative final touch when styling a coffee table, whether you’ve filled it with wrapped lemon-drop candies or not.
In the postwar years, the democratization of luxury led to an explosion in the number of well-designed ashtrays, and there are many mid-century modern ashtrays to choose from on 1stDibs. (It’s no coincidence that sculptor Isamu Noguchi devised his “Dymaxion” version, which he hoped would make him rich, in 1945. Alas, it turned out to be too difficult to mass-produce.) The design collection of the Museum of Modern Art includes ashtrays by Carlo Scarpa (Murano glass, 1950–59); Achille Castiglioni (stainless steel with spring-like inserts, 1970); Masayuki Kurokawa (rubber and steel, 1973) and more. Smoking declined in popularity in the 1970s and ’80s, after the surgeon general’s warning began appearing on cigarette packs, but designers were still crafting ashtrays through the end of the century (especially outside the United States).
On 1stDibs, browse a collection of antique, new and vintage ashtrays that includes everything from modern and minimalist cigar ashtrays to outwardly ornate Art Deco ashtrays that evoke the opulence and elegance of the 1920s.