Smoker’s Set, 1908 - 1912

This cigar case was designed by the architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) in 1908. The object is a smoker’s accessory made from fruitwood and coated with ray skin. Hoffmann occasionally used exotic kinds of leather, such as crocodile, frog or fish skins, whose natural patterns did not necessitate additional decor. The hard material required simple, clear forms, such as a cylinder halved in the center, as in the present example. Ray skin leather hails from thornback rays, native to the China Sea, and was used since the 19th century for European leatherwork. The gray-green iridescent material was particularly suited to cigar and jewelry cases. The execution was carried out by the Wiener Werkstätte.

MR, 2023