Antique Humidor for Cigars or Box for a Fountain Pens Collection. France, Circa 1900

Striking antique humidor to exhibit cigars or fountain pens, coming from France and made circa 1900. This small cabinet is made of different types of wood: the body is made of solid cherry wood, while the cigar trays are mahogany. The humidor draws powerfully our attention for the magnificent carving work it shows. The doors, the sides and the drawer are decorated with high-relief floral carvings on dotted backgrounds and framed with moldings. At the top of the humidor we find a superb carved sculpture depicting a wild bird with two chicks. The sculpture is carved in a skillful and loose way, features that reveal the hand of a good artist. The bird that crowns the humidor shows a slight reparation at the neck. This is an unremarkable detail as it scarcely stands out in this amazing cabinet. The humidor stands of four carved legs and has a lower front drawer. Over the drawer we can see the big cigar cabinet, which contains six removable mahogany trays with grooves for the cigars or the pens. The lock that close the front doors is the original one and remains in fine working order. This superb antique humidor to exhibit cigars or fountain pens is a real jewel of wooden handcraft, almost one century old. Dimensions: Width: 10.63 in / 27 cm. Height: 15 in / 38 cm. Depth: 7 in / 18 cm.Humidor History A cigar humidor is a small cabinet or recipient designed to store cigars in perfect humidity conditions. When it is shaped as a cabinet, it is also used to show pen collections in an elegant and functional way. Before the 18th century Europeans mostly smoked tobacco in pipes; cigars did not become really popular until the 19th century. The first cigar humidor is thought to have been created by the Irish furniture maker Terence Manning who brought exotic woods and cabinetry techniques from South Africa in 1887. His family business became renowned for their handcrafted humidors, and their techniques expanded all over Europe and America. Another pioneer in the field was Zino Davidoff, the first one who built a cellar humidor. His family traded in cigars, so they had to design a structure to keep them under the ideal humidity conditions. This cellar is believed to have been built in the early 20th century.