ANTIQUE SIGNED JOZEF CANTRE BRONZE FIGURAL SCULPTURE /ASHTRAY / VESTA RARE! Circa 1930.

This is a rare piece from a prominent collector. Provenance will be shared with the buyer.

JOZEF (JOSEF) CANTRE (1890-1957), Belgian sculptor and illustrator. One of the driving forces in the formation of the Flemish Expressionism modernist movement. Together with Oscar Jespers, he is considered the main sculptor of this important art movement, which encapsulated all his influences of fauvism, cubism and German expressionism.

This youth represented on this ashtray has an angularity and extremely smooth surfaces, which combined with the geometric form he holds (likely for matches), makes this work feel very modernist, almost reminiscent of a less abstracted Archipenko. There is also a resemblance to the figures of Wilhelm Lembruck. Along with Oscar Jespers, Cantre is considered the founder of the movement now known as “ Flemish Expressionism.”

The overall weight of the vesta (designed for the hearth, usually to hold matches) ashtray is approximately 4.1 pounds. The overall dimensions are HEIGHT: 9.25”, LENGTH: 6”, WIDTH: 4.25.” The base (that is to say, the ashtray portion itself) is approximately 1.15” in height. 

The size and weight make it a nice (single) lightweight decorative bookend, as well. It also makes a lively paperweight.

Wear commensurate with age and use. Staining, wear, oxidation, miscellaneous scratches. Has a nice patina. Please see all pics as they comprise the main part of the description, and ask any questions prior to purchase.

Items of this rarity and value are sent fully insured and require a signature.

International shipping is through eBay’s Global Shipping Program. The international buyer is responsible for any customs / import duties or fees associated with this service, and there may be unforeseen shipping delays outside the United States, which we have no control over.

Please also check our other listings! We presently have a rare pair of OSCAR BACH bronze lamps and a fabulous pair of Jean Michel Frank inspired shagreen* screens custom made for NYC’s Baccarat Hotel. In the coming weeks, we will be offering several other prized 1920’s - 1930’s French Art Deco pieces, including sculptures by ALEXANDRE OULINE, LUCIEN GIBERT, JEAN DE RONCOURT, MAX LE VERRIER, tea/coffee sets, modernist flatware (Christofle, Puiforcat, Chase, Revere), a suite of portraits / lithographs by Wyndham Lewis, Georg Kolbe, cubist drawings and paintings, photographs by Skrebneski and Bruce Weber, a huge reproduction of Tamara De Lempicka’s Adam And Eve, as well as a nice selection of furniture — a Norman Bel Geddes for Simmons bedroom set, (dressers, bed, vanity / desk), tables and chairs by Wolfgang Hoffmann and Alfons Bach (Royalchrome, Lloyd). Coming next month: A Donald Deskey for Widdicomb vanity, a Paul Frankl inspired skyscraper coffee table, and a few Ralph Lauren Home deco-inspired pieces.

Thank you for looking!