creepy cool

[juanbenae]

wondering if anyone can tell me anything about this cast brass ashtray ive had for around 20 years. i got in a steel chest of stuff from my great aunt's garage after she passed that had been my great uncle's. he came to the states just after WWI as a young man and eventually became an iron worker. in the box i got had all his old hand tools which are really cool and this kinda creepy cool ashtray.

how old do you think it might be? i wonder if it was produced in the states or came with him from spain when he immigrated. where i might be able to share these images to get a clearer picture of what this is. besides creepy.










interested in the thoughts you guys might have.

[pwd72s]

Trench art...made from an old artillery shell...more than likely.

[sc_rufctr]

The scene on the back looks like Classic Greek porn (seriously) but that doesn't mean it's really old.

Cast bronze or brass so it could be trench art as already suggested but you'd need a proper furnace to melt that much metal so maybe not. IMO It was probably made by a smaller manufacturer in Europe as a tourist souvenir. (Very rough and ready)

The Tabs may have a better idea.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Trench art...made from an old artillery shell...more than likely.

had never heard that term. googled it and looked at an ebay link. seems like the art is mostly made from shells and other spent stuff. did see one cast piece in the offerings, very intricate, much more so than my bit.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Trench-Art/585/bn_55193443

still looking for more info.

[ben parrish]

So..what’s the silver poker? Looks like what we used to clear bong bowls back when...even has the tar on it

[daepp]

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

So..what’s the silver poker? Looks like what we used to clear bong bowls back when...even has the tar on it

The crowd I ran with back in the day called that a jabberwocky.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

The scene on the back looks like Classic Greek porn ....

Ha ha! I guess porn has ALWAYS been the real driver behind our technology.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

So..what’s the silver poker? Looks like what we used to clear bong bowls back when...even has the tar on it

a poker.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

So..what’s the silver poker? Looks like what we used to clear bong bowls back when...even has the tar on it

for clearing a pipe stem...so you were close

[MRM]

Picasso didn’t do a lot of sculpture. But what he did do looked a lot like that.

I agree that it looks like trench art, but the Roman porn image was cast by someone who knew what they were doing.

Between about 1910 and the early 20s Picasso was influenced by neoclassical art. And he was often in Spain. Just saying.

[sc_rufctr]

IMO It's Greek because of the hair styles and the beard.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

The scene on the back looks like Classic Greek porn (seriously) .

He PIITA?

[MRM]

Yes, Greek. Just sloppy writing on my part late at night and said Roman instead of Greek.

[craigster59]

Most trench art was hand hammered like Daepp posted. The casting on the bottom of the tray with the feet looks a bit like vintage "Risqué" souvenir pieces.

It's tough to tell. Maybe spritz some water to give more definition on the image and post another photo.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by MRM

Yes, Greek. Just sloppy writing on my part late at night and said Roman instead of Greek.

Most Italians and Greeks share common DNA so it's not entirely wrong to think that way.
What separates these two peoples the most in religion.

[70SATMan]

Nah, not trench art though ash trays were a common item made from shell casings. It’s completely cast. Doubt it’s any older than turn of the century. Quite a bit of cast brass, bronze and zinc made in the 20s and 30s.

[Nostril Cheese]

The bottom reminds me of a Roman bordello token.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

The bottom reminds me of a Roman bordello token.

Yes, I vaguely remember something about ancient Roman Brothels in a documentary from years ago. Each one depicted a "scene" and that's how the price was worked out beforehand.

[sc_rufctr]