Jens Quistgaard box

Rare cigar box designed by Jens Harald Quistgaard and produced by Kronjyden in Denmark.

The ceramic container has a low rectangular form with softly rounded corners and a pale glazed interior. Its exterior is finished in a muted steel-blue to blue-grey glaze, becoming darker toward the lower edges. The sides are covered with repeated impressed lettering spelling “CIGAR.” The letters are arranged in horizontal rows and picked out by the lighter ceramic beneath the darker glaze, turning the functional designation of the object into a continuous geometric surface pattern. Quistgaard used related typographic treatments across a group of smoking accessories for Kronjyden, including containers and ashtrays marked for cigars, cigarettes, tobacco and ash.

The removable lid is made from rosewood and introduces a contrasting warm reddish-brown tone with pronounced dark grain. Its rectangular outline follows the proportions of the ceramic body, with rounded corners and gently softened edges. A large circular recess is carved into the center of the upper surface, surrounded by a raised concentric ring. This recessed element allows the lid to function as an individual cigar rest or ash receptacle while maintaining the otherwise simple rectangular geometry. The combination of a square-edged container and concentric circular carving is characteristic of Quistgaard’s interest in giving utilitarian tabletop objects a strong tactile and material presence.

The underside carries the circular “Danmark – Kronjyden” factory mark with the company emblem at its center, directly confirming Danish manufacture by Kronjyden. Comparable Quistgaard cigar boxes produced by Kronjyden are likewise recorded with this factory marking.

Jens Harald Quistgaard (1919–2008) worked across ceramics, wood, cast iron, glass and metal and became one of the principal figures associated with postwar Danish product design. He co-founded Dansk Designs with Ted Nierenberg in 1954 and developed an extensive body of household and tabletop objects in which contrasting materials and clearly expressed functions were recurring elements. Contemporary biographical material records his training in sculpture, drawing, silversmithing and ceramics, as well as his work across porcelain, stoneware, glass, cutlery and wooden objects.

For Kronjyden, Quistgaard designed ceramic tableware as well as a series of smoking accessories during the mid-century period. These objects frequently combined glazed ceramic with sculpted hardwood components, placing the tactile qualities of wood against the harder glazed surface of the ceramic.

The box measures 16 × 10.5 × 7.5 cm, corresponding to approximately 6.3 × 4.1 × 3.0 inches. It is in good vintage condition with small signs of use.