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Notes:
[1] A kylix is a broad shallow two-handled cup used for drinking wine in ancient Greece.
[2] The fleur-de-lis, meaning literally lily flower, may have been derived from the iris that grew along the Luts River in the Netherlands, which was the homeland of the Franks. Used from the earliest civilizations to represent the Trinity, the archangel Gabriel (in representations of the Annunciation), and even the Virgin Mary, it is usually identified with the people of France. While the fleur-de-lis has appeared on countless European coats of arms and flags over the centuries, it is particularly associated with the French monarchy in a historical context, and continues to appear in the arms of the King of Spain and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and members of the House of Bourbon. In North America, the fleur-de-lis is often associated with areas first named or settled by the French (St. Louis, Detroit, New Orleans, Louisville, and Baton Rouge). Oscar Bach probably had no particular meaning in mind when he chose the fleur-de-lis as a finial for his smoking stand, but used it here simply because it was identifiable as an old icon.
ProvenanceTo 1963
Reynolds family, Winston-Salem, NC. Purchased from artist (presumably). [1]
From 1963 to 1998
Bob Gibson, Greensboro, NC. Purchased from yard sale at Reynolda House, sold by Zach Reynolds in 1963. [2]
From 1998
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC. Purchased from Bob Gibson, Greensboro, NC in July 1998. [3]
Notes:
[1] 1998 letter/receipt from Bob Gibson, Object File.
[2] See Note 1.
[3] See Note 1.
Purchase Receipt: Letter and receipt from Bob Gibson, acknowledging sale of this smoker to Reynolda House Museum of American Art, July 24, 1998.
DepartmentHistoric House
Smoker
Maker
Oscar B. Bach
(1884 - 1957)
Date1930-1940
Mediumbronze (or perhaps brass and other metals)
DimensionsOverall: (h.) 38 3/8 × (circ.) 31 1/8 in. (97.5 × 79.1 cm)
Credit LineReynolda Estate
CopyrightPublic Domain
Object number1922.2.173
DescriptionThe kylix-shaped [1] ash bowl of this smoking stand is held atop a tall rope-twist standard on a round gently-sloping stand. The tall angular handle, anchored to the bowl by anthemions, is topped with a fleur-de-lis [2] that has been flanked on the bowl by cigarette rests borne on stylized Archaic horse heads. The whole smoking stand is covered with a brown chemical patina, and the finial has traces of red and yellow enamels.Notes:
[1] A kylix is a broad shallow two-handled cup used for drinking wine in ancient Greece.
[2] The fleur-de-lis, meaning literally lily flower, may have been derived from the iris that grew along the Luts River in the Netherlands, which was the homeland of the Franks. Used from the earliest civilizations to represent the Trinity, the archangel Gabriel (in representations of the Annunciation), and even the Virgin Mary, it is usually identified with the people of France. While the fleur-de-lis has appeared on countless European coats of arms and flags over the centuries, it is particularly associated with the French monarchy in a historical context, and continues to appear in the arms of the King of Spain and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and members of the House of Bourbon. In North America, the fleur-de-lis is often associated with areas first named or settled by the French (St. Louis, Detroit, New Orleans, Louisville, and Baton Rouge). Oscar Bach probably had no particular meaning in mind when he chose the fleur-de-lis as a finial for his smoking stand, but used it here simply because it was identifiable as an old icon.
ProvenanceTo 1963
Reynolds family, Winston-Salem, NC. Purchased from artist (presumably). [1]
From 1963 to 1998
Bob Gibson, Greensboro, NC. Purchased from yard sale at Reynolda House, sold by Zach Reynolds in 1963. [2]
From 1998
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC. Purchased from Bob Gibson, Greensboro, NC in July 1998. [3]
Notes:
[1] 1998 letter/receipt from Bob Gibson, Object File.
[2] See Note 1.
[3] See Note 1.
Purchase Receipt: Letter and receipt from Bob Gibson, acknowledging sale of this smoker to Reynolda House Museum of American Art, July 24, 1998.
Status
On view
Object/Object
